


The Lost Corner

by catbaitv, obfuscatedheart



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: AU, Hannibal is a Cannibal, M/M, Monster sex, Murder Husbands Big Bang 2018, The Wendigo - Freeform, Will moves to the UK, Will’s dogs - Freeform, monster fucking, season 1 AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-08-19 11:50:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 30,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16534073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catbaitv/pseuds/catbaitv, https://archiveofourown.org/users/obfuscatedheart/pseuds/obfuscatedheart
Summary: When Will is diagnosed with encephalitis after killing the Minnesota Shrike he picks up and leaves to move to a remote house in Norfolk, UK, he meets charismatic country doctor Hannibal Lecter. The only issue: there is a strange creature that keeps leaving dead bodies on his property. And the creature is fascinating and Will feels compelled to know more about it.





	The Lost Corner

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came to me when I was driving through the countryside in Norfolk as it’s filled with liminal spaces, and there is a local legend of an omen of death (Black Shuck).
> 
> Thank you [Beezlekn](http://beezlekn.tumblr.com) (catbaitv) for the incredible art that belongs to this story.
> 
> Thank you to El for the incredible beta work, and endless patience, and to Max for listening to me moan about this fic

The breeze is the first thing he notices as he steps off the plane. There is a hint of salt in the air that stings his cheeks.

Will descends the steps of the plane and follows the small group of passengers to the tiny terminal building. It is a little bigger than his house in Wolf Trap. He misses his old home with a deep ache. Even if the last few months his safe ship in the dark had become filled with horrors and no longer afforded him the comfort he had so carefully crafted for himself.  
He once again curses Jack Crawford for approaching him that day in Quantico. But he also urges himself for saying yes to the man.

Although the Minnesota Shrike had been stopped, it had also resulted in the death of both the wife and the daughter before Will had been able to end Garrett Jacob Hobbs with 10 bullets in the chest.

The months after had been hell, and as much as he had tried to deny it, the Shrike had planted a nest in his head, and made its home there. His frequent hallucinations of Hobbs had prompted him to finally seek medical advice. The diagnosis had been shocking; encephalitis, his brain had decided to boil from the inside.

It was then that he had handed in his notice to Jack and the FBI, said his goodbyes to the few people he was on friendly terms with, packed up his belongings and his dogs to move somewhere different.

Will still isn’t sure why he had chosen Norfolk in the UK of all places but something had spoken to him about the county. There were no large roads that led there, and no large cities. There was something about the fact that large swathes of land there were largely unpopulated and that neighbours were few and far between. It had been been very fortunate that he had found a property that suited his needs, far enough from neighbours that he could avoid human contact, but close enough to a village that he would be able to buy groceries without spending hours driving.

The property itself boasted a small orchard and plenty of land for the dogs to explore to their hearts’ content. The house on the property was an old flint cottage, which the estate agent had happily told him, had been mined in Norfolk in centuries past. The last part of the land backed onto a small woods that spilled out into the landscape.

As the group of passengers from the plane are herded towards the border control Will looks at his papers, he knows that he is incredibly fortunate that the settlement from the FBI had been enough to purchase his new house and give him a comfortable start in Norfolk,

The border agent only asked cursory questions before allowing him to pass through, and that was it, Will was on British soil.

He followed directions to collect his luggage before going to collect his dogs from a bored looking man, at the collection point.

“Lot of dogs there.” The man says as he is reunited with all seven of his dogs. They are obviously excited to see him, and appear to be in relatively good spirits in spite of the long flight. He is able to quiet them with a quick “tsk”.

He looks to the man who is watching him with a bemused smile, “They like you well enough. Han’t seen dogs that well behaved in a long time.” A smile breaks out over Will’s face.

“They’re my family.” Will answers.

The man nods slowly before handing Will the forms to sign. Once he has his dogs’ leashes in his hands he feels more at peace than he has for a long time.

His relocation agent had organised a car for him to drive to his new home. The car he finds is an old battered Range Rover, Will is glad that it isn’t something that looks brand new, and in his mind over-engineered, instead it seems to fit him immediately.

As per his instruction the back of the car has enough cages for his dogs. And he carefully lifts each dog into a cage, before climbing in to the car himself. Sitting on the opposite side is odd at first but once he gives himself a moment to adjust to the different position he feels ready.

Will turns the key in the ignition and a certain amount of excitement passes through him when he hears the rumble of the motor catching. He looks back at the small terminal building and drives off.

***

He follows the directions given to him from the programmed sat nav, watching as the small amount of building become fewer and fewer. The landscape begins to flatten out, giving way to fields upon fields of bright yellow flowering plants, as well as fields of grazing animals.

Occasionally he hears yips and snuffles from the back of the car but overall the dogs seem to be, like him, watching the windows for changes. He feels his shoulders relaxing the further away he gets from the airport and the attached city.

Rather quickly the main roads give way to treacherous country roads that wind through villages and fields. With each turning Will is more and more glad that he has the relative safety of a higher car and therefore field of vision.

After an hour of driving he reaches the beginnings of his drive, a flood of excitement fills him. The cottage looks even better than the pictures had indicated, suddenly he doesn’t miss his house in Wolf Trap that much.

The driveway is gravelled and although it makes the drive difficult he is glad for the sound underneath the tires as it feels grounding.

When he finally reaches the house he notices one other car next to the door, and once he parks his car a woman gets out of the other car with a smile plastered on her face.

He grudgingly gets out of his car to greet the woman.

“You must be Will Graham.” She says in a cheery voice, Will can tell that there is an accent there but he is not able to place it, he only nods in answer.

“Brilliant. I’m Victoria, your relocation agent. We’ve spoken on the phone.” Will only nods again. “I just popped by to give you your keys, give you a quick tour and then leave you be.”

Will is a little surprised, Victoria is evidently polite and helpful but not in the overbearing way that realtors had been in America.

He lets the dogs out of the cages in the car, Victoria doesn’t seem the blink at the number of dogs that have jumped out of the trunk.. The dogs seem incredibly excited to be back outside. He allows them to wander around the area in front of the house before fetching a bowl from his bag and giving them water.

Victoria smiles at them indulgently, before saying, “Shall we?”

He follows her into the house, the hallway is relatively light thanks to a large round window that sits over the staircase.

“I won’t give you the sales tour. I’ll just show you the important bits.” Victoria says to him and Will feels gratitude for that.

“That would be great thank you.”

Victoria only smiles and gestures him into the kitchen. She opens a cupboard that is next to the array of cupboards under the sink. “In here you’ve got your gas and electric meters.” He can just about make out the two boxes. “You’ll need to give a reading once you’ve chosen a supplier. The current supplier, with phone numbers are listed in the pack that’s on the counter.” She points to the top of the counter as she’s speaking, where there is a large folder as well as a bottle of wine.

Victoria seems to notice him looking at the bottle of wine. “Just the standard welcome home gift we do at the agency.” She says in answer to his questioning glance.

“Hopefully the glasses arrive soon then.” Will says.

“Well if not there’s always drinking from the bottle.” Victoria answers.

She gestures for him to follow her again, and they move through the kitchen into a small hallway and then a room that leads to another door to the outside. Victoria points at a large white box on the wall, and says “That’s the boiler, it’s been serviced just this past month, so you should be good until next year, when you will need to have another service.”

Victoria opens the backdoor to the grounds and Will is sure that his dogs will love it. The grounds are sprawling as far as Will can see. The woods that back onto his new property are much more dense than they appeared on the photos he received.

“You might be able to see deer at dusk if you’re lucky.” Victoria says from behind him. He turns towards her and he can see that she is still looking at him with a bemused smile. “Although I’ve been told they’re a pain if you’re trying to grow something in the garden.”

Will nods briefly, and for a moment he is excited by the prospect of living here. There is a sense of peace here that he knows he has never experienced before.

“It’s peaceful here.” He says after a while.

“Absolutely, a lot of people end up settling here.” Victoria says in answer, and Will understands why now.

The landscape is flat, you can see for miles and miles in any direction, there are very few man made buildings that interrupt the field of vision. In the background he can hear a constant noise, he knows it is the far away main road, but it almost sounds like distant waves.

“We’re not far from the sea are we?” Will asks.

“About 20 minutes drive, it’s a quieter beach, and you can bring your dogs there year round.” Victoria says, and Will is glad for the added detail. He is sure that his dogs will love the beach.

“That’s good.” Will states, and Victoria smiles at him before going back into the house, and as much as Will would rather spend more time outside after so much time inside, he knows that Victoria must be anxious to get home so he follows her inside.

She leads him upstairs and briefly through various rooms, pointing out rooms and bathrooms. Will knows that once again that he has a house far too big for just him and the dogs, but the location and price were what had really persuaded him about this house.

Once Victoria has shown him around the entire upstairs she leads him back outside to a box just outside the house and talks him through the gas taps and the location of the fuses.

“I think this is it then.” Victoria says, “I hope you’re happy here, and if there are any issues with the house or you have any questions let me know.”

“Thank you, I appreciate the tour.”

“Well all that’s left is the keys.” She says as she passes him a ring of a few keys. “This one is to open the garage;” she holds up a small silver key, “and this one for the rest of the house.” This one is a bronze color and looks a lot older than the locks would have indicated.

“Welcome home Will.” She says in goodbye, and Will waves as she gets into her car and slowly drives off down the drive.

He looks at the keys in his hands and for the first time he realises that this is real, that he made this choice. And he’s happy with it.

He whistles to his dogs who have spread around the front of the house, all seven of them come tumbling towards him, and he feels a true smile spread on his face.

He heads to the car and takes out his luggage, before turning back to the dogs and the house.

“Let’s go inside then.” He says to the group and leads them into his new home.

He knows that the few pieces of furniture he had decided to keep are going to arrive in the following days, but he had packed blankets in his luggage for the dogs and a sleeping bag for himself.

He heads into the kitchen and picks up the stack of papers that Victoria had indicated before and takes a brief glance through all of them, upon realising that many of the tasks he will need to do to set up various bits and pieces will require phone calls, he resolves to head into the nearest village as soon as possible to organise a SIM card for his phone.

He notices then that behind the bottle of wine is a box, inside of which is a roll of toilet paper, tea bags, a few candles and matches, and a voucher for what appears to be the nearest takeout.

He chooses the living room to set up a temporary camp with his dogs and sets up blankets for them, all of them except Winston go to lie down on these. Winston instead seems to be content to stay by his side.

“I know it’s strange but I think this is the right choice for all of us.”

The living room features a large glass door into the backyard and therefore a large amount of light and he is a little unsure of the time, he checks his watch and realises that it is still on the time in Virginia, according to his watch it is 7 am but he knows with the time difference it’s 11am. With the time difference and the two flight he feels a little out of sorts, and he knows that he should start thinking of food.

He realises then that he can’t put off a shopping trip till the next day. He sighs heavily and Winston presses against his leg in concern, he scratches the dog gently behind his ears. “It’s alright Winston, I’ve just realised that I actually need to head out again because I didn’t plan ahead enough.” Although Will knows that Winston can’t understand him the dog does lie down as if the explanation is sufficient.

He takes out his phone to check where the nearest large grocery store would be, luckily for him it appears that there is one about 30 minutes from his location.

Will sends Winston to the spare blanket and the dog makes his way over to the others. For a moment he considers letting them into the garden but as he’s not entirely sure of the state of the fences that surround the property, and he needs to train them to not enter the woods without him he keeps them in.

He takes the large bowl out of his suitcase and after filling it from the tap in the kitchen he places it down for his dogs and walks back to the car, locking the door as he goes. After programming his destination into his sat nav he sets off again.

The journey takes him less time than he expects and very quickly he find himself outside a large supermarket with an attached gas station which he makes a note of for the future. Once he manages to park the car he heads inside, and although he usually would only take a basket he knows that he requires more items this time so takes a cart and heads inside.

The store appears to be relatively similar to the ones in America so he doesn’t feel too out of place. He heads to what appears to be a homeware section where he is able to pick up a kettle and a microwave, as although the kitchen has come equipped with a cooker and fridge there had not been smaller items, and he knows that he will not be able to attempt to conquer the jet lag the next morning without something to make coffee. Will picks out a few mugs, cups, a few plates and some flatware.

Once he has picked up a few items, that will tide him over until he receives his own possessions, he heads over to find food and coffee for the next few days.

He wanders around until he is able to find a section for microwave meals where he picks out a few that he thinks he might enjoy.

He also picks out a few items of junk food, although there is very little that looks familiar, or flavours he recognises, such as prawn cocktail flavoured chips. He decides the steer clear of them for now.

Once he has enough food to last him for a few days he decides to look into ingredients for food for his dogs. After spending far too much time looking through various types of meat he picks a selection of organic cuts of differing types.  
Coffee he finds a few aisles further along and he is glad to find a brand of instant he recognises and knows he likes. Doing a quick mental check he realises he has almost everything he needs.

After a bit more searching he is also able to find a prepaid SIM card. Satisfied that he has everything he goes to a checkout. There appear to be very few shoppers around so he loads up a conveyor belt in an empty lane.

“Need help packing.” The cashier says as she picks up and scans the first item. Will shakes his head and starts packing the items either into the cart or bags that are at the end of conveyor belt.

“How much do you want on here?” The cashier says as she scans the SIM card.

“20 pounds will do thanks.” Will says.

“On holiday here then?” She asks.

“Just moved here actually.” He answers, he can see the slight confusion in the woman as well as curiosity.

“Aha.” She says simply before scanning the rest of his items and once that is finished reads out his total.

He hands over a stack of notes to her, she adds the money to the till before handing him his change.

“SIM’s been activated but you will need to give the number on the back a call to register.”

“Thank you.” Will says before pushing the cart out of the store and heading to the car

Once he’s loaded everything into the car and returned the cart he heads back home.

In his new house once he has greeted the dogs and packed away his shopping he replaces his American SIM with a British one he registers the number and knows he can no longer ignore the growing hunger so he microwaves one of the meals and once it is finished cooking he heads back into the living room to eat.

He sits down on the floor leaning against the wall opposite the glass doors, the dogs come to join him and he eats, watching the sun slowly setting over the woods. For a moment he thinks he sees something flitting through the trees, but remembering that Victoria had mentioned deer he ignores it.

Will can see a future here though and that for the first time he feels comfortable.

***

Over the next few weeks Will receives the rest of his possessions and begins to decorate and fill his home.

His dogs, as he had predicted, love the grounds. They quickly learn that the woods are off limits but seem content with the space afforded to them.

Although he had dreaded setting up various accounts and services it had been relatively painless, even setting up a bank account. Apart from the dealings with the various utility providers, bank and the occasional shopping trip he was even able to avoid most human interactions.

That was until he realised he was almost out of the medication he needed to keep himself encephalitis-free. Will knew that this unfortunately required more human contact than he really would prefer but he knew he had to do this.

After a quick google search he was pleased to find that there was actually a practice in the nearby village. He makes an appointment to see the doctor to register for the following day.

“Dr. Lecter is an odd name isn’t it?” He asks the dogs and Buster yips with apparent agreement.

The next morning he gets dressed and heads into the village for his appointment, the surgery appears to be located in one of the homes that are almost in the center, and after parking his car outside he heads inside with his paperwork.

The inside of the practice is a surprise, although he had expected something a little fussier, the waiting room is a mix of antique pieces and more modern hints of leather and steel, behind the receptionist are shelves of books. The receptionist takes one look at him and directs him to take a seat.

“He’ll be with you in about 5 minutes.”

The other person in the waiting room looks him up and down briefly before nodding to himself slightly.

After a few minutes the door the right of the reception desk opens and an elderly lady exits with a man behind her.

“No I insist Mrs. King. I cannot accept this gift. But I will see you next week.” The voice of the doctor is accented with something that he can tell is not a British accent.

The lady walks over to the man in the waiting room.

“Let’s go Barry. We’ll miss the bus into town otherwise.”

Will sees that Dr. Lecter watches the two as they make their way out of the practice.

“Mr. Graham I presume.” The doctor says when he sees Will. “Come on in.”

Will gets up from the seats and follows Dr. Lecter into the small examination room, he glances around the room, and like the waiting room it features both antique pieces as well as more modern aspects.

“What can I do for you today Mr. Graham.” Dr. Lecter asks.

Will tries not to show the moue of disgust at being called Mr. Graham. “Call me Will please.” he says instead.

“Of course, Will.” the doctor says, “If you prefer you can call me Hannibal.”

Will is a little surprised at being offered the doctor’s first name.

“Your parents were into Roman battles?” He asks.

“Indeed, they thought it would be a fitting name. But we’re not here to talk about my parents’ naming habits. What can I do for you?”

A little embarrassed at being caught out that he had been deflecting any possible questions away from himself.

“I need to register as a patient as I have a prescription I need to get refilled.”

“Of course.” Dr. Lecter says. “Why don’t you give me a rundown of your medical history, as I don’t seem to have your notes yet.”

“I had anti-NMDA encephalitis. Naturally I had all of the symptoms possible: seizures, hallucinations and psychosis, but we all thought it was a mental breakdown until the seizures. Cause was never found but I need a refill on my immunotherapy prescription.”

He hands over the packet of his pills to the doctor across from him.

“That is fascinating, I don’t think I’ve ever come across this at all.” Dr. Lecter says as he examines the pills. “I will, for my own edification, do a physical examination just to make sure that there is no chance of reoccurrence or side effects from the drugs.”

Will grimaces, he is never one for physical examinations.

“I promise to make it quick and painless.” Dr. Lecter says. “If you could take a seat on the bed for me please.”

Will grudgingly takes the proffered seat and watches the doctor gather materials from his desk and cabinets.

The man is undeniably handsome, a little older than Will himself. He has a face that at first glance is a little unusual; high sharp cheekbones and intense eyes. Dr. Lecter is wearing a plaid suit, that on most people would look strange but oddly it suits the man.

Will cannot help himself from watching the man and when he looks up he catches his eyes, Dr. Lecter is watching him with a bemused smile.

He flushes, “I’m sorry Dr. Lecter.” he says slowly.

“No need to apologise, and I insist that you call me Hannibal.”

Watching Hannibal approach is a little like watching a panther prowl, it shouldn’t thrill Will the way it does.

“Now if I could ask you to lift your shirt so i can listen to your chest.” Hannibal says, “I’m sorry if this is cold.”

Will lifts the shirt and flinches when the cold stethoscope touches his back.

“Again, I can only apologise. Now deep breathe in.. And out again.” Hannibal says and Will complies to the directions. After a few times listening to his breathing Hannibal moves to his front and listens again.

“All seems to be in order.” Hannibal says as he places the stethoscope around his neck. Will pulls his shirt back down and in preparation unbuttons his shirt so he can pull out his arm for the blood pressure cuff.

“Used to physical examinations?” Hannibal asks as he tightens the cuff round his left arm.

“You have enough of these as a cop. Hence the scar on my shoulder, stabbed whilst I was trying to break up a fight.” Will says in answer.

“I was going to ask, but it does look like it healed properly.”

“Yeah, it sometimes feels a little stiff in cold weather, but otherwise it’s fine.”

Hannibal nods and then begins to measure his blood pressure, watching Hannibal concentrate on the reading is fascinating, a small strand of his dark blond hair has fallen forward and Will wants to touch but doesn’t allow himself to entertain the thought further.

“A little on the high side.” Hannibal says once he has finished the reading, “although nothing to be concerned about.”

Will nods, he can feel his heart pounding.

“Now I know I could send you off to get it done, but I can take a blood sample now if it’s okay?”

“That’s fine, was expecting this today anyway.”

Hannibal nods and lays out the materials next to Will on the bed.

“You have dogs?” Hannibal asks as he wipes Will’s arm with a wipe.

“Was it the copious amounts of dog hair that clued you in?”

Hannibal only grins.

“Yeah, I rescue dogs when I find them. Brought them all over with me too.” Will says, he’s not ashamed in the slightest about the amount of dogs he owns, they are what have kept him sane throughout the years.

“It’s good to have company. A pack of dogs can be better companions that most people.” Hannibal says and Will feels a huge amount of relief.

“Sharp scratch coming up.” Hannibal states and then he places the needle in his arm, although it’s so gentle in comparison to any other blood test he has ever had.

“Not really a scratch there doctor.” Will laughs.

“Well I do what I can, although I think have an unfair advantage as being an A&E doctor has given me a lot of experience with taking blood.”

“Why don’t you work as a hospital doctor? Instead you’re a doctor in a tiny village, in the middle of nowhere?” Will asks as he holds the cotton pad to the puncture wound.

“I killed patients. Or rather lost one too many patients whilst there.” Hannibal says soberly as he marks the vial of Will’s blood. “Then I found this position, a quiet place far away from the high pressure targets. But I was able transfer my talents for surgery into the culinary arts.”

Will nods and says, “You felt responsible for them, even if there was nothing you could do.”

Hannibal looks a little surprised at the statement.

Will flushes in embarrassment again, “I can empathise with almost anyone. It’s what made me a good detective, and a good FBI consultant.”

Will catches Hannibal’s eyes and he can see intrigue in the maroon eyes.

“Not that impressive believe me, I mostly just lectured at the academy, and consulted on a few cases which led to the breakdown and subsequent diagnosis.” Will laughs, “Turns out seeing a cannibalistic serial killer everywhere after you’ve killed him isn’t exactly normal.”

“Perhaps not. Although if you had spent a lot of time in his head it’s almost understandable.” Hannibal says thoughtfully.

Will considers this for a moment, and nods slowly.

“So with regard to your prescription, I’ll write you one for the month, then we’ll make another appointment, as by then I’ll have your results back.” Hannibal moves back to his desk.

Will rebuttons his shirt and goes to sit down next to the desk and give any details that may be required of him.

“All the details here correct?” Hannibal asks and Will nods. “I’m glad the cottage has such a good owner now.”

“You know the cottage?” Will asks.

“Naturally, it’s supposed to be home of an local legend, and before that it was home to an old family.”

“Local legend?” Will asks incredulously

“Yes, something about a black antlered thing that harkens death.” Hannibal says with a smile.

Will laughs and says, “I thought it was just deer that were known to scamper around the grounds.”

“The legend probably does just refer to deer. And it’s probably deaths that occurred due to deer ticks. So I would just be careful with your dogs.”

Will grins, “Thank you. I’ll make a note of it.”

Hannibal prints something out and then signs it, “So here’s your prescription, just take it to any pharmacy and they should be able to fill it.”

“Thank you.” Will says, “I have to say this has been the easiest physical I’ve ever had.”

“My pleasure Will.” Hannibal says with a smile. “Now this is not meant as anything more than a friendly invitation, come join me for dinner?”

“Let’s keep it professional.” Will is not sure how ethical it would be to be friends with his doctor, or if some of the sly glances are anything to go by something a little more.

“Or we could socialise like adults. God forbid we become friendly.” Hannibal says with a smile.

“I don’t find you that interesting.” The first lie that he has told to Hannibal.

“You will.” Hannibal says.

Will chuckles as he takes the prescription from Hannibal and walks out of the room.

He nods at the receptionist and walks back out into the open air. Fortunately for him there is a pharmacy in the supermarket outside of the village so he drives to pick up his prescription.

When he gets home he looks out into the woods behind his house, sees a flash of dark and thinks about the conversation with Hannibal, knowing that it’s probably a deer.

***

When Hannibal rings him a few weeks later to discuss his results he organises an appointment to get a repeat prescription.

This time there is no one else in the waiting room of the practice when he arrives, the receptionist seems to be out as well, only moments after he sits down the door to the examination room opens.

“Will, it’s good to see you, come on in.” Hannibal says warmly.

Will walks into the room past Hannibal and takes a seat next to the desk.

“So I’m hoping you’re not going to tell me that I need to stop the medication or I will die?”

Hannibal chuckles, “No your blood work came back completely fine. I just wanted to discuss with you if this is the best course of treatment.”

Will gives Hannibal a confused look.

“Nothing drastic, but personally I am almost tempted to reduce the dose slightly, just to see if we can find a balance between your immune system being completely knocked out and it attacking your brain.”

To Will this sounds like a good idea and he nods his assent.

“So I think if we start with reducing your dose to three-quarters of the current dose and then see from there.”

“That sounds reasonable.” Will says.

“And I still can’t tempt you into accepting a dinner invitation?” Hannibal asks.

“No I don’t think it’ll be a good idea.Will answers.

Will is sure that he sees a hint of disappointment in Hannibal’s face before he schools his features back into the professional demeanour he had before.

“Well then, take the prescription and I will see you in a few weeks time again.” Hannibal says as he hands over the prescription.

“Thank you Hannibal.” Will says as he leaves. “I’ll see you soon.”

Once again Will leaves to collect a new prescription from the local pharmacy.

***

This pattern continues for a few more months, as the outside becomes cooler and rain makes itself a more present feature of the everyday, with each time Will declining Hannibal’s dinner invitations.

They manage to find a balance for the medication, that keeps the encephalitis at bay without meaning that even a simple cold could knock him out for several weeks.

After the third time that Will declines an invitation Hannibal begins bringing food to the appointments, and something that is endearing is the sausages he has made for Will’s dogs.

Will doesn’t admit that it is the most delicious food he has ever had, as then the reason for not wanting to accept the invitation had nothing to do with any doubts around Hannibal’s culinary talents but that Will is more than a little afraid of deepening the connection to the doctor.

Invariably however he learns more and more about the man, for example that Hannibal hailed from Lithuania but had studied in the UK after his uncle had raised him. He was an orphan, but at the same time hailed from nobility.

And in spite of his earlier statement that he didn’t find Hannibal interesting, he finds the man increasingly interesting.

Will looks out the window just 15 minutes before he is due to leave for his appointment with Hannibal and realises that he is unlikely to make the time.

The window doesn’t really give much view to outside, instead all he can see is a thick dark fog that prevents him from seeing more than the window panes.

He picks up his phone to ring the practice, he knows that Hannibal will be on a lunch break currently, so he rings him directly.

Hannibal picks up on the second ring. “Hello Will.” Hannibal says immediately.

“I won’t be able to make it today, the fog is just too thick for a safe journey.” Will says by way of greeting.

“I did think this might be the case, I’ve had a number of cancellations today.”

“I have enough medication to last me a few more days.”

“I’m glad for it. And you’ve got enough food?”

Will sighs, “I’ll be fine, I’ve probably got some cans lying around, that will feed me until the fog clears enough for me to go out to the shops.

“That simply won’t do Will. You need to eat properly, especially with your medication.” Hannibal sounds concerned.

“It’s fine, it’s only for a few days. I’ll ring you again when the fog clears to arrange a new appointment.”

Hannibal sighs, “I’d feel better knowing that you have plenty of good food in the house.”

“I know but there’s not a lot that can be done now.” Will says, “I’ll speak to you in a few days. Goodbye Hannibal.”

“Goodbye Will.” Hannibal says before he hangs up the phone.

Will looks at the phone in his hand and then at Winston who is standing there next to him.

“He’s a strange one Winston.” He says before going into the living room with the dog at his heels.

The rest of his pack is laying around the room on various blankets, in the middle of all of them is a section of an old boat motor that he had bought from an online auction to repair and hopefully resell.

He settles down between his dogs and gets to work. The feeling of working with his hands on the delicate parts of the motor relaxes him and allows his mind to come some amount of rest.

After an hour of working on the motor, and occasional petting the ever shifting dogs thatsurround him, he hears the crunch of the gravel of his drive. He jumps up from his position and goes to his front door, his dogs follow him.

He rips open the door and through the fog he can see a tall dark figure approaching him. Will is a little concerned for his safety until the figure is a few inches away from him and he can see that it’s Hannibal.

“You’re insane you know.” Will says instead of a greeting. “You could have died driving here.”

“For good reason though. I’ve brought some supplies.” Hannibal counters with a smile as he holds up a bag that is filled with boxes.

Will sighs and says, “Come on inside.”

Hannibal follows him inside and Will can tell that the man is observing everything with keen eyes.

“It’s a nice house.” Hannibal says as they reach the kitchen. “And a very good kitchen.”

Will laughs, “Shall I leave the two of you alone for a bit?”

“Please tell me you spend every spare moment in this kitchen?” Hannibal asks.

“Mostly to make dog food.” Will admits.

The scandalous look Hannibal gives him is incredibly endearing, before he schools his features back into a neutral expression.

“Well I have a few bits and pieces to feed you with.” Hannibal says as he opens the bag and begins to take out various boxes. “And I did bring a few things for the dogs.”

Will smiles, it’s rare for someone to think of the dogs. “You’ll have to be careful they may end up liking you more than me.”

“I highly doubt that, but they’re are a part of your life Will, it’d be rude of me to deny how much they mean to you.”

Speechless Will nods slowly, and Hannibal continues to bring out the boxes.

“Do you mind if I give the dogs some of the treats I made?” Hannibal asks gently.

Will has to swallow a few times around the lump in his throat before he can speak, “Go ahead.”

Hannibal smiles and takes out a link of sausages from one of the boxes. “All handmade using meat from my favourite butcher.”

“You shouldn’t have, really, Hannibal.” Will says.

“Only the best right Will?” Hannibal says gently.

Will nods and Hannibal begins to break the sausages into smaller pieces.

The clicking of nails on the wooden floor can be heard next to the kitchen door, Will can tell that the dogs are desperate to get into the kitchen even though they know they are not allowed in the room. Hannibal opens the door slightly and goes out into the hallway.

The dogs don’t jump up at him, but they do jostle and push each other to get closer to Hannibal and receive the treats. Will can see that Hannibal is careful to ensure that each of the dogs gets and equal amount of treats by the time his hands are empty of the sausages.

“Thank you.” Will says quietly as he watches the dogs begin to settle down as they realise that there is no more food available for them.

“My absolute pleasure.” Hannibal says with a smile. “Now why don’t we see about some lunch for the both of us.”

Will nods and Hannibal moves back to the bag of various boxes and he begins to dig through them until he’s found one particular box.

When Hannibal opens the container the most mouthwatering smell fills the room. Will’s stomach makes itself known at that moment with the most obscenely large growl.

Hannibal chuckles, “I’d better reheat this then. Could you pass me a saucepan please?”

Will ducks his head and takes out a saucepan from one of the cupboards and hands it to Hannibal, who thanks him before pouring the contents of the box into the pan and turning on the stove.

Very quickly the smell begins to deepen and Will feels like he hasn’t eaten in days but at the same time he feels very much at home.

Hannibal asks him for plates and in a daze Will hands them to him. The plates are filled with the stew and then Hannibal hands him one.

Almost in a daze Will picks out silverware from a drawer and leads Hannibal into the dining room.

They sit down at the table and Hannibal says, “This is a simple stew with local ingredients. Bon Appetit.”

Will takes a bit and moans at the burst of flavour in his mouth. “Holy shit, this is fantastic.”

Hannibal looks incredibly pleased with himself. “I’m glad you are enjoying it”

“I can’t believe you managed to get the meat so tender.”

“It’s all in the cut of the meat and the cooking method. I try to do the best with what nature gives me.”

“Well whatever it is you do, it works.”

If a person could purr, Hannibal looks like he’s about to purr.

“Truly it’s my pleasure.”

Will grins and continues with eating, he looks up a few times while he eats and Hannibal is looking at him with intensity that makes Will squirm slightly.

When they finish eating Will takes the plates into the kitchen to wash them up and Hannibal follows him.

While he is washing up Hannibal is rummaging through the containers and explaining what each one contains and how best to prepare them. Will is struck with the domesticity of the moment and he feels a slight pang for what could be, although if Hannibal’s glances are anything to go by it is a potential.

But there is a part of Will that won’t allow him to follow the thought any further, as he sure that it is not something that he should be indulging in, as he doesn’t want cause any problems for Hannibal.

“You look a little pensive Will.” Hannibal asks.

Will shakes himself before saying, “I’m sorry I’m being a terrible host. Can I offer you anything to drink?”

Hannibal shakes his head and Will tries to smile, but he is sure that it doesn’t look convincing.

“The fog is clearing Will, so I need to head back in case there are any calls to the practice.” Hannibal says after a while once he has transferred all the contents of the bag into Will’s fridge and pantry. “I’ve brought you another month of your prescription, same dose as last time.”

Will tries to talk but his throat feels dry, he swallows around the lump to say, “Of course, I’ll show you out.”

Will follows Hannibal to the front door, and he is surprised at himself how much it pains him to be saying goodbye.

“Drive safely.” Will says as Hannibal gets into his car, in the lifting fog Will can see that the car is an expensive estate, it’s a little difficult to make out a brand or model in the fog but at least he can see further than in the morning.

“I will.” Hannibal says before he closes the door, “And I’ll call you tomorrow or the day after to catch up.”

Will nods and Hannibal shuts the door and starts the car and drives off slowly. Will watches the lights disappear into the fog until even the glow of the lights have gone.

He turns back to the house and goes inside to continue work on the boat motor, he feels a little like a piece is missing. Will decides to ignore the feeling and let’s the mechanics of the task he is doing wash over him.

Many hours later when hunger begins to become too pressing to ignore he goes back in the kitchen. He opens his fridge and sees the boxes from Hannibal, one of which contains more of the stew that he had had with Hannibal earlier in the day. Unlike he usually would do, reheating food in the microwave, he heats the stew on the stove.

It is just as delicious as it had been earlier, but it is definitely missing company. He finishes eating, washes up and goes to bed.

***

The next morning after dreams filled with a dark antlered figure, that surprisingly didn’t make him feel any sense of fear at all, he wakes up to see that the sun is shining through the gap in the blinds.

He gets up and simply shrugs on a jumper as well as some shoes to let the dogs out into the garden. They follow him outside and start running around as if they hadn’t been outside for weeks, even though it hadn’t been longer than maybe eight hours since they had last been outside.

After a few minutes something seems to catch their attention and all of his dogs run towards the woods, and even in spite of his warning shouts they all run right into the mass of trees.

Will curses under his breath and chases after them, the grass underneath his feet is dew covered and he almost slips over several times.

Finally he reaches the place where they are gathered, some of his dogs are barking whilst Winston and Zoe are whining.

He feels a shiver run down his spine when he sees what is lying at the dogs’ feet.

There is a body of a man that looks like it has been ripped to shreds by an animal, the torso is almost entirely empty with only the intestines left, which surprisingly have not been ripped open.

Out of the corner of his eyes he can see a figure, when he turns more fully towards it he can see that it appears to be mostly human-shaped. But the figure looks emaciated with milky white eyes. Growing out of the head is an impressive rack of antlers, that Will almost wants to reach out and touch. Although the creature looks dangerous Will only feels safe.

When he blinks the figure is gone.

Will doesn’t allow himself to try and see more of the crime scene, instead he calls his dogs to him and shepherds them back to the house.

Once he reaches the house he locks the door to stop the dogs from running out again, grabs his phone, ignoring the text from Hannibal and dials emergency services.

The person on the other end of the phone sounds sceptical at first, as if he is trying to prank call them. But after a few minutes of explaining to the operator about the dead body near his property, he is told that a police car has been dispatched for his house.

He hangs up the phone and sighs with his head in his hands, this is exactly something that he had moved away from the US for, instead it seems death had followed him.

He contemplates phoning Hannibal, but then he realises that he doesn’t want to drag Hannibal into his world filled with death.

He lets the scene run in front of his mind’s eyes, but there is nothing about the scene that makes any sense to him.

Before he can spend more time trying to understand the evidence and motive of the killer, his dogs start barking, and Will knows it must be the police. He shushes his dogs and walks over to the front door to go and see the officers.

When he opens the door he almost wants to bark out a laugh, the two officers that are now stood in front of his door look almost exactly like they belong in a comedy sketch.

One is older, stout and balding, with a distinctive beer belly. The other is tall, young and wire thin.

The older officer says, “Can you tell me what the matter is?”

“Dogs found a dead body in the woods behind the property.” Will says in answer. “I’ll lead you through the back gate as otherwise the dogs will find a way to go back out into the garden.”

He leads the two police officers through the back gate and garden till they reach the woods. Will sighs, the situation feels far too familiar for comfort. Finally he reaches the dead body and points it out to the officer. For the first time he sees that the man’s eyes are open in what is apparent fear.

Almost immediately after reaching the body he hears retching behind him, when he turns round Will is surprised to see that it’s the older who has vomited.

“You alright Tom?” The younger officer says.

“Yeah I’ll be alright. Call everyone.” The older man says to his colleague. “How come this doesn’t bother you Mr. Graham?”

“Worked homicide in New Orleans and then lectured at the FBI academy, and to be entirely honest I’ve seen worse.” Will says.

He watches as the younger officer talks furiously into his walkie-talkie.

“If you don’t mind I’m going to feed the dogs otherwise we will have a riot on our hands.”

The officer nods and Will heads back inside. When he reaches the living room he looks at his phone again, he sees that he has another text from Hannibal but he ignores it to move into the kitchen. He begins to pull together the ingredients for the food, in the hallway he hears the excited yips from the dogs and he smiles slightly.

He looks out into his garden once he places down the food for them, and he is a little surprised to see Hannibal. So he rushes out the living room door, throwing it shut behind him to stop the dogs running out after him and to meet their new best friend.

“Why are you here?” Will asks slightly out of breath.

“Officer Smith called me, as the only doctor around for miles I have to officiate the death.” Hannibal says.

Will sighs, “I wish I didn’t have to drag you into this.”

“I got here on my own Will.” Hannibal answers with a smile. “Besides I’ve done my part, and you look like you could do with a coffee.”

Will nods. “You’re right, I haven’t had the opportunity to have any caffeine, I’m probably running on adrenaline now.”

Hannibal and Will walk back to the house and Will lets Hannibal enter first, “You know the way to the kitchen. I’m going to check on the dogs.”

He feels a little out of sorts but he is glad that Hannibal has made an appearance today. He feels calmer already, and although he knows he should examine why that is, Will decides that it is neither the time nor the place.

The dogs have finished their food and are in parts laying around the living room, and others are pressed against the doors watching the proceedings in his backyard.

He joins Hannibal in the kitchen and finds him brewing a coffee with equipment Will is sure he doesn’t own, and by the smells and sounds Hannibal has something frying on the stove.

“And how are the dogs?” Hannibal asks.

“They’re fed and there’s lots of things happening in the garden so it’s almost like they have their own television.” Will says. “What are you making?”

“Just some sausages for a protein scramble, don’t worry they aren’t the ones for the dogs.” Hannibal answers, “And this is just a simple coffee.”

Will sighs in happiness, “I should have you round every morning.”

Hannibal chuckles, “I’m sure I could try for that.”

Will flushes slightly, “You know there was something odd today. And it makes me wonder if the encephalitis is coming back.”

He looks up at Hannibal who is looking at him with concern and he says, “tell me what you saw.”

“It was a dark antlered figure, like we had talked about, emaciated with bright white eyes. If I didn’t know any better I would have thought that the figure was responsible for the death.” Will says somberly.

Hannibal makes a non-committal sound, “It’s interesting, the way you described the figure does sound like a local legend, the Wendigo, but as far as I remember the Wendigo was not one to kill people but was more seen as an omen of death.”

Will considers this. “Do you think there is reason to think that the encephalitis is coming back?”

“Have you had any insomnia, sleepwalking episodes or headaches?”

Will shakes his head.

“Then I don’t think that it’s likely that it’s a relapse, although it is fascinating to think that you would witness a local legend.”

“So you think it’s real?”

“I think there is the possibility that it exists but what is strange is that didn’t seem to behave the way that every legend has described it thus far.” Hannibal says thoughtfully.

“That’s some comfort. I think I want to do some reading around the subject.”

“Good idea,” Hannibal says as he plates the food he had just made, “why don’t we tuck into the food and then decide if there is something else we can do.”

Will smiles at Hannibal and takes the proffered plate and leads Hannibal into the dining room.

When they are sat down Will spears a piece of the scramble onto a fork and takes a bite. There is a distinct smokiness to the meat this time around, he can’t help the moan that he makes.

“That good?” Hannibal asks with a smile.

“Yes, it’s delicious. I don’t know how you do it.”

“My pleasure, and it is just getting the right ingredients and time.”

Will realises as he’s eating how hungry he actually is and continues eating without much regard to Hannibal until he looks up and sees Hannibal staring at him with intensity. Will flushes and looks back down at his now empty plate.

“I have to apologise for my ambush Will but it is gratifying to see someone eat my food with so much gusto.” Hannibal says, and if Will could guess it’s with a certain amount of fondness, “won’t you reconsider joining me for dinner at mine?”

Will considers it for a few second. “If the food is even half as good as the current fare, I can make myself available.”

Hannibal smiles warmly, “I think that can be arranged. Although of course I’d be much obliged if you would consider bringing a catch of yours.”

Will considers it, “I can try my best, but I’ll be honest I’m not sure what the Broads will offer up.”

“I’m sure you’ll be able to catch something good.” Hannibal sounds so trusting.

“I do have to ask; why did they phone you?”

“Well as the only doctor in a 20 mile radius, and the need for a Doctor to certify the death, and here we are.” Hannibal says. “Although it’s pretty obvious that there was no need for an official diagnosis but apparently a signature by a doctor is what is needed.”

Will nods, “I think there was a doctor on call for this in New Orleans, or they would call the coroner.”

“Tell me more about New Orleans.” Hannibal says.

“Well it was hot and humid. That was always the overriding feeling. But there was so much colour there too. And the food, oh the food was something else.”

“Oh really?” Hannibal asks with interest, “I’ll have a look into some recipes, I’m sure I can whip something up.”

“Oh no I don’t want you to go to any trouble.” Will says.

“It’s no trouble at all.” Hannibal says as he finishes his plate, “but tell me about New Orleans.”

Will smiles and launches into a story about the summers he spent with his father fixing boats.

He is about halfway through the story when he is interrupted by a knock on the door, they both turn around to see the older police officer through the glass of the door.

Will opens the door to the man, and the officer comes inside.

“So we’ve managed to gather any and all evidence we could find and the body has been transferred to the morgue. Is there anything else you can tell us Mr. Graham?”

Will sighs, “It was the dogs that found the body, when I looked I could tell the man had been eviscerated, although it looked like something or someone had taken very particular care to take only select organs. So from what I could see it was kidneys and the lungs, but there could have been more taken.”

Will turns to Hannibal who is looking at him with awe. “It’s fascinating that you were able to see all that.” Hannibal says.

“You’re right about the organs but we will know more after the autopsy. I do have to ask Mr. Graham, how are you so versed with investigative techniques?” The officer asks.

“As I told you earlier I spent 2 years as a homicide detective in New Orleans before lecturing and consulting with the FBI.”

“Ah that’ll do it. We’ve never had a case like this before so any help you can provide would be much appreciated.”

“I’m sorry sir, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Hannibal says before Will could answer, “You see Will here is recovering from a very dangerous disease and it would be detrimental for Will to be involved”

“That’s fair enough. If we have any more questions we’ll be in contact.” The officer says, “and we’ll be done in about 30 minutes and you’ll have your garden back to yourself.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it.” Will says, “And of course if you have any questions please contact me.”

“Will do, and Dr. Lecter I’ll see you later in the week.”

“Of course Mr. Smith.” Hannibal says with a smile.

The officer goes back out of the door he had come in from.

“Thank you Hannibal. I would have had a hard time saying no to him. Always have.” Will says.

Hannibal sighs, “I could tell, and I’m glad you don’t feel like I’ve trodden on any toes.”

“Not at all. Did I ever tell you how it came to be that I was hallucinating a cannibalistic serial killer?” Will says as he plays with the handle of his coffee cup.

Hannibal shakes his head, “No I don’t think you did. But if you feel like sharing feel free to do so.”

Will gulps, “It started when I was lecturing on a couple who had been murdered in their home. After the lecture Jack Crawford, head of the behavioural unit showed up to ask me to consult on a case.”

“I’ve heard of Jack before, I must admit I’m a little fascinated with the behavioural unit.” Hannibal says.

“Yeah they’re work is incredible, but Jack is definitely a workhorse. It was a case of 7 missing girls all in the middle of Minnesota, the 8th had gone missing. Jack and his team were at their wits’ end so Jack pulled me in for a consult.”

“You didn’t say no?”

“How could I? 8 girls were missing, presumed dead. We found the 8th body at her house, she’d been placed back into bed. During the autopsy we found antler velvet in her wounds, like she had been mounted. Then the liver was the kicker; it had been removed and then replaced. She had liver cancer.”

Will takes a sip of his coffee.

“See we hadn’t found anything of the last girls. And now we had the body of one of them. He killed her with relative mercy and then he tried to undo what he had done to her.”

“Not a classic sadist them.” Hannibal says.

“No.” Will laughs. “Not a sadist. You see I knew he loved those girls, or at least one of them. But then why did he leave this one? That’s the question we were all asking ourselves.”

“There was something wrong with the meat.” Hannibal says, “It’s common practice for butchers to throw away all of the carcass if even one part of it is tainted.”

“That’s what we realised too. And luckily we found a bit of pipe thread in the girl’s dress. So it gave us an employment place for the guy. I went out to find him. Then at one building site I found a resignation letter that struck me as odd.”

Will takes another swig of his coffee and continues. “I went to his address, he pushes his wife out the door, he slit her throat, there was nothing I could do. I ran into the kitchen and I find him there; one arm holding his daughter with a bloody knife to her neck. On instinct I start shooting as he draws a knife across his daughter’s throat, I managed to sink 10 bullets into him before he went down.”

“And the daughter?” Hannibal asks.

“Nothing I could do. She bled out, I tried to keep her alive but I just couldn’t.”

“You felt responsible.”

“Incredibly so. And all I could hear was his voice, saying; “See. See. See.” over and over again.”

Will’s throat clicks and it feels dry. Hannibal refills his cup and Will takes it gratefully, and takes a sip.

“I would see him everywhere and anywhere. I could feel his daughter’s life slip between my fingers every single day.”

“I see why they thought it might have been a breakdown.”

Will nods, “that’s what I thought too. And I guess Jack felt guilty enough that he made me see a psychiatrist, but only so far as to get me stamped and sent back in the field.”

“I’m beginning to lose a little bit of respect for Jack.” Hannibal says.

“I know what you mean, but that’s just Jack, he had a lot of pressure on him. A lot of serial criminals and not enough resources. And I was his favourite tool.”

“What happened?” Hannibal says, “I mean your disease would have gotten progressively worse.”

“It did. Even Jack couldn’t ignore seizures in the middle of the case, and nearly killing someone because I thought they were Hobbs.”

Will sighs and rubs his eyes. “They almost locked me up.”

“And that’s when they made the diagnosis, I’m guessing.” Hannibal states.

“Yeah, and then came the treatment. Which as I’m sure you know was an ordeal.”

“I can only imagine. So you decided to leave?” Hannibal asks.

“I needed to get away, I couldn’t face doing the same thing again. And Norfolk sounded like the perfect place to go.”

“Tell me Will have you perchance read _Never Let Me Go_ by Kazuo Ishiguro?”

“I don’t think I have.” Will says.

“There’s a passage in it where he describes Norfolk, and I think it perfectly encapsulates the county. It reads something like this: _‘Norfolk is stuck out here in the east, on this hump jutting out into the sea, it’s not on the way to go anywhere. People going north and south, they bypass it altogether. For that reason, it’s peaceful corner of England, rather nice. But it’s also something of a lost corner.’_ If I remember correctly the characters in the story also believe that Norfolk is where all your lost property winds up.”

“It is fitting, and describes why I chose this spot on earth to escape to. I wanted somewhere a little forlorn.” Will says. “Thank you for reciting the passage, I’m more than a little impressed that you managed to memorise all that.”

“Is it that much different from remembering where nerves and veins run along our bodies?” Hannibal asks.

“I suppose not.” Will laughs and finishes his coffee. He studies Hannibal for a few minutes, once again the man is wearing a three-piece suit in a pattern that would on most men look garish but it suits Hannibal. Then Will realises that he is wearing little more than pyjamas bottoms with an old threadbare sweater.

“You must think me a slob Hannibal.” Will says to him.

“If you’re referring to your state of dress I don’t think you’re dressed like a slob, comfortable yes, and like someone who was woken up to something that they were not expecting to wake up to.” Hannibal says. “And if you want a suit I’d be more than happy to recommend a local tailor to you.”

“Not Savile Row?” Will asks.

“On occasion yes, but I think it might be a little intimidating for your first time.”

Will flushes, “I’m not sure that I’d feel comfortable in Savile Row, surely all I smell of is dogs.”

“I wouldn’t say that you smell of dogs. You do smell more like nature than the majority of people I know, even if they are farmers.” Hannibal says with no shame. “But it suits you, there is a hint of something spicy in your scent.”

“I didn’t know you smelled me. I don’t know whether I should be concerned”

“I can only apologise; I have a particularly sensitive nose. Luckily this can be of benefit when diagnosing.” Hannibal looks contrite as he speaks.

Will smiles at Hannibal and says, “We make an odd pair, one with a sensitive imagination and one with a sensitive nose.”

Hannibal smiles, “You think of us as a pair?”

He can feel the red rise in his cheeks, “Well you did say we would be friendly.”

“Yes I suppose I did.” Hannibal says. “I have to apologise Will, although I was able to rearrange my morning appointments, there are some that could not be rearranged this afternoon. So I will have to excuse myself.”

“Oh. Of course.” Will tries to keep the disappointment from his voice. “I appreciate the company. And again sorry for dragging you into my world.”

“Not at all, as I said I got here all on my own.” Hannibal says as he stands up, he picks up his plate and Will shakes his head.

“Leave them, I’ll sort them in a minute.”

Hannibal places the plate down again and follows Will to the front door, picking up the bag he had left in the kitchen. When Will opens the door for him he places his hand on Will’s bare forearm. “Thank you for the hospitality, as ever. Allow me to host you though just once at mine.”

Will smiles, “Of course. I’ll contact you to confirm a time?”  
“Please do Will, my phone line and home are always open to you.”

Hannibal walks to his car in the now empty drive. “See you soon Will.” Hannibal says in parting and Will waves back with a nod.

Will watches as Hannibal starts his car and drives off before going back inside his house. The dogs look at him curiously as he goes back into the living room where they have settled. Winston trots up to him and nudges his fingers gently, Will begins scratching Winston’s head grateful for the texture and warmth beneath his fingers.

“Who would have thought eh Winston?” Will asks the dog who looks at him with a tilted head. “This far away from other people and there is a murder basically in my backyard.”

Knowing that his dogs are not able to reply to him he moves over to the motor that he had been working on the past few days, he sinks down to the floor and picks up where he left off.

Working on the motor allows his mind to focus and he begins to remember more aspects of the Wendigo, as Hannibal had called it. He remembers that the eyes had looked at him with such fondness that it had hurt. He also remembers that the creature had almost looked ready to approach him but had apparently decided against it.

After a few hours of working on the motor his dogs become more and more restless and he knows that they are desperate to relieve themselves. He gets up from his position, and his joints feel stiff, he feels like Hannibal would probably have something to say about it.

He lets the dog out the door in the living room and follows them outside, wishing then that he was wearing warmer clothes. This time the dogs don’t run towards the garden, instead choosing to follow the various trails the officers had left in the garden.

Something draws Will into the woods again, something almost trance-like has him walking into the depths again to the spot where he had found the body. There is almost nothing left that remains of the corpse, except a dark patch of what must have been the pools of blood surrounding the body.

For no reason that Will can discern he sinks to his knees next to the mark and touches the ground. A cracking branch catches his attention and he spins round, he catches sight of the Wendigo. He sighs almost happily when he looks up into the white eyes. But the moment Will blinks the Wendigo is gone again.

He can feel the sting of tears in his eyes, and he rubs them with the sleeve of his jumper.

Will isn’t sure what brings up the tears but he knows that the emotion in the Wendigo’s eyes had been overwhelming with the intensity.

He really does wonder what is happening to him, of all the things he had expected to happen when he moved to Norfolk this was not one of them.

He can hear the crying of one of his dogs so he gets up off the damp floor and makes his way over to his pack. They are stood right on the edge of the woods waiting for him.

When Will and his dogs walk back to the house they are pressed to his sides as if they were trying to reassure themselves he was still there.

They walk together back into the house and for the first time in a long time he sleeps in the living room with the dogs surrounding him.

He wakes the next morning with all of his dogs around him, with Winston’s head on his chest. Will smiles at the sight, until Winston yawns in his face and he is hit with the smell.

“Good Morning gang. Who’s up for some breakfast?” He says after clearing his throat.

Immediately the dogs jump to their feet with excited yips and wagging tails, he chuckles slightly and fetches their food from the kitchen and then sets it down for them to eat. The dogs launch themselves at the food and he watches them until they finish.

Will decides that he is in desperate need of a shower so he heads upstairs to the bathroom. Once he has stripped off his clothes he steps into the shower and lets the water run off of him.

While he is rinsing his hair he feels as if something is watching him, so he rips open the shower curtain to see the Wendigo again. He relaxes slightly when he sees the figure, but when he blinks it is gone.

Will decides then that he needs to research more about the legend, and ask Hannibal to perform more extensive tests to determine whether he is relapsing or not.

“My name is Will Graham, it’s 8:14 am and I’m in Orchard Cottage, Norfolk.” This mantra had been something that Alana Bloom had taught him during the time he had been treated by her.

He sighs and rubs his eyes, and shuts off the water. Will feels slightly as if he is becoming unhinged again, and if frightens him deeply.

He steps out of the shower and towels off, before wrapping the towel around his waist and walking to his bedroom to fetch some clothes.

Before he is able to get dressed the doorbell rings, and the dogs start barking, he curses and hurries downstairs to the front door. He sends the dogs to their beds, and the heed his instructions, not before giving him the stink-eye.

He rips open the door ready to yell at the person at the door, but any anger dissipate the moment he sees Hannibal at his doorstep.

“Good Morning Will. I was in the neighbourhood, more or less, and thought I’d stop by to see if you wanted some breakfast.”

“Er right.” Will says as he hopes that his towel is knotted securely, “you make yourself comfortable in the kitchen because I feel the distinct urge to get dressed.”

“If you’re more comfortable like this, I wouldn’t be opposed.” Hannibal says, and Will can feel the lingering look and he flushes.

“I - uh- I feel like I ought to.” Will stammers over his words, and he wants to curse himself for acting like a teenager.

“Of course, like I said whatever makes you feel comfortable.” Hannibal says with a smile. “Do the dogs need feeding?”

Will is touched that Hannibal considers his dogs, “They’ve been fed, but they may pretend like they haven’t eaten for days when they see you. So don’t let them fool you.”

“Noted, you get dressed, and I’ll get started on breakfast.”

Will nods and walks back upstairs to his living room. The clothes that he had thrown on his bed no longer looked fitting for the occasion. So instead he chooses a reddish shirt and dark pants.

Before he goes back downstairs he takes a quick look in the mirror and realises that his hair is in a shaggy wet mess, so he decides to dry and style it.

Once he’s done he heads back downstairs to the kitchen, the smell of food and coffee is pervasive, and the dogs are taking turns pressing their noses at the crack of the door. He chuckles lightly before pushing past them to get inside the kitchen.

“You have avid fans in this house.” Will says to Hannibal’s back, as he is doing something on the stove.

“I’m glad.” Hannibal says, “give me a few minutes to finish up breakfast and I’m all yours.”

Will grabs a cup of coffee and adds sugar to it and sits at the counter to watch Hannibal.

The doctor had gotten rid of his jacket, and rolled up his shirt sleeves and Will watches the play of muscles across his back as he works. Hannibal has strong forearms and Will loses himself in observing Hannibal work.

When Hannibal turns round with the plates he freezes on the spot looking at Will. He looks in danger of dropping them for a moment until he is able to catch himself.

“Shall we?” Hannibal asks, and his voice sounds odd.

Will is staring at Hannibal, and can’t tear his gaze away from his eyes, the obvious want in Hannibal’s eyes sends shivers down his spine.

He clears his throat, “Right, yes, of course. Do you want me to grab anything?”

Hannibal shakes his head and follows Will out of the kitchen, Will can feel Hannibal’s stare on his back and it feels intoxicating to be so obviously wanted.

Once Will is sat down in the dining room Hannibal sets down the plate in front of him. He can tell that Hannibal lingers a little above him and Will can feel the inhale.

“Did you just smell me?”

“Hard to avoid, but this shampoo suits you.”

“Ah.” Will says simply. He waits until Hannibal has seated himself before he picks up his flatware.

“Tell me what you made, please Hannibal.” Will says and he can see the way Hannibal is looking at him.

“Yes of course. I’ve made another protein scramble, this time with black pudding and devilled kidney. I hope that will be satisfactory?”

“Sounds delicious.” Will says as he spears a piece of kidney and takes a bite. “And it is sublime.”

Hannibal smiles, “I’m glad you like it. I know not everyone will eat offal. But its health benefits cannot be denied.”

Will makes an agreeing noise with his mouth full.

They eat a few moments in silent and the tension is almost, palpable before he breaks the silence.

“I think you might need to give me some pointers on books or articles on the Wendigo.”

“Why is that Will?” Hannibal asks.

“I keep seeing it, not just in the woods, but in my house. And I’m starting to wonder what it wants from me.”

“You are seeing the Wendigo in your house?”

“I know I sound like I’m losing my mind. Maybe you should organise an MRI to make sure the encephalitis hadn’t come back.”

“Will, I assure you,” Hannibal reaches out a hand and places it on Will’s, “there is nothing in any of your results that would indicate a relapse. But if it reassures you I will arrange for an MRI to be done.” He squeezes Will’s hand gently before letting go.

Will is stunned, the brief contact had filled him with warmth, and his hand feels like it’s on fire.

“And with regard to articles on the Wendigo I would recommend the library for old newspaper articles. I’m not familiar with any books about the subject.”

Will nods.

“But tell me Will, how does the creature make you feel?” Hannibal asks.

“Safe. Desired. Looked after. A whole roster of fucked up feelings.” Will admits. He feels embarrassed because he knows that he should feel fear.

“Feelings are never fucked up. They just are, and it’s perfectly acceptable. Besides you seem to be perfectly healthy and full of life, so I highly doubt that the Wendigo is signifying your recent death.” Hannibal says with a smile.

“Thank you Hannibal. You’ve given me a lot to think about.” Will says after a while.

“My pleasure Will.” Hannibal almost purrs, which should not sound as soothing as it does.

They finish their breakfast in companionable silence, and as the previous few days Will takes their plates to wash them up with Hannibal drying them. Every time their hands brush Will feels the same warmth run through him, he feels the tension growing again.

Will is itching to do something and feels it right down to his fingertips. He swallows the lump in his throat and gently grabs Hannibal’s shirt and pulls him towards him.

Will kisses Hannibal, but the other man doesn’t react, so Will pulls back, “I’m so sorry Hannibal. Forget I did anything.”

“No that’s not it Will,” Hannibal says and his hands are holding on to Will’s which are still holding on to Hannibal’s shirt, “I just never would have dreamed.”

“Oh.” Will says lamely.

Then Hannibal kisses him, and the kiss is filled with hunger. Will kisses back with enthusiasm. Hannibal’s hands move to Will’s shirt and pulls him even closer. He can feel both his and Hannibal’s hearts beating fast, and it’s exhilarating.

The break apart when oxygen between the two runs out.

“Right.” Will says, his lips tingle and he itches to kiss Hannibal again.

“Right.” Hannibal says and laughs. It seems a lot freer than any other laugh Will had heard from the man. “I guess that clears that up.”

Will laughs too, he pulls Hannibal to him again and presses a kiss to his lips. “So you’ll pick me up at 7?”

Hannibal smiles and nods. He rests his forehead against Wills and seems content to just breathe the same air as Will.

“I find myself disinclined to go to work, but alas I know my patients can not wait any longer.” Hannibal pulls away from Will gently, “so you catch me a fish and I’ll fetch you at 7.”

He kisses Will again, and Will cannot help himself but deepen the kiss further. Content to keep kissing Hannibal and exploring him with his hands.

That is until the phone rings. Will ignores the phone until it rings out.

“You are temptation personified Will. But I do have to leave now.” Hannibal says with a sigh, he presses a kiss to Will’s lips but dances backwards before Will can do anything further.

“I’ll expect you at 7 on the dot.” Will says with a smile.

“Yes you will.” Hannibal states, and his voice speaks of promises

The phone rings again, “answer the phone and I’ll see myself out.” Hannibal says and leaves the kitchen with one final squeeze of Will’s hands.

“Hello.” Will says as he picks up the call.

“Mr. Graham, it’s Officer Smith calling. I have some follow up questions to ask if I may. Would you be able to come down to the station for 3pm?”

Will looks at his watch and agrees to the request. Noting down the address before hanging up the phone.

He sends a text to Hannibal stating that he won’t be able to provide fish for the dinner this time around.

Knowing it is time to let the dogs out he walks out of the kitchen and into the garden with all seven of them sharp on his heels.

It is a little warmer today than it had been the previous few days, and the sun is shining weakly in the sky. The dogs seem to be enjoying it as quite a few are standing in the breeze and letting the world pass them by.

He looks around his property as a whole and can see that a few of the trees look ready to be harvested. Knowing that he has a few hours before he has to leave to get to the station.Will goes into the shed, where he had stored a variety of garden tools, and rummages through it until he finds what he is looking for; a basket and a ladder.

When he moves closer to the orchard the dogs follow him, he can tell that a few apples have already begun to drop off. He gathers those together in one basket.

Setting up a ladder at the first tree he begins to climb so that he is able to more easily reach the fruit. The fruit that he is able to easily pick he does so and places them into the basket. The apples with more resistance he leaves for a later date.

The work is much harder than he had anticipated and he only manages to pick fruit from one tree by the time he needs to leave for the station.

Will leads his dogs back into the house and locks the door before getting into his car.

The drive takes 45 minutes through winding country lanes. After the months that he has spent in Norfolk he feels much more comfortable driving along these. The roads take him further towards a larger town but the police station is just outside it so he can avoid the crowded rads roads of the town.

He parks his car in the car park before heading inside the station. It is much smaller and quieter than any station he has ever visited previously.

The receptionist gives him a friendly hello when he reaches her, when he tells her he is there to see Smith she looks a little more solemn before instructing him to wait. She offers him a coffee and he gratefully accepts.

By the time she brings over the coffee to him, he has been waiting for 20 minutes. The first sip he takes makes him almost regret it, although he thinks he may be slightly spoiled by the coffee Hannibal always makes him.

Will is excited by the prospect of seeing Hannibal soon, the kisses that morning had made a few things clearer to Will.

His reverie is broken by a voice, “Mr. Graham? If you’d like to follow me please.”

Seeing Officer Smith in the station is very different to how the man had looked only a few days ago. He looks more comfortable and assured.

The officer leads him into a tiny office, and Will sits down into the seat that is pointed out to him.

“I have to Mr. Graham. I’m at my wits end.” Smith says as he sits down. “Can’t make heads nor tails of the thing.

“Call me Will please” Will says to the officer, who nods.

“I know you had said no to helping the investigation. And I totally understand that, but is there anything else you can think of?”

Will sighs, this feels all too familiar, but he knows even in spite of his resolve not to do anything he will help.

“I’m afraid not, are there any photos of the scene you can show me? I may be able to see something I missed.” Will asks and Smith nods sliding a file across the desk .

He opens the file and the first thing he sees is the autopsy report. A little surprised that the bite marks were made by human teeth, that are only slightly sharper than usual. As he had seen earlier the organs had been removed precisely similar in the manner a butcher might have done.

“Any suspicions on the implement used to remove the organs?”

“Coroner just said, that it would have been extremely sharp, could be a scalpel or something similar, but nothing distinctive enough.” Smith says as he types away at his computer.

Apart from the organ removal there were no other injuries, except the broken neck, which had been the cause of death.

Once he finishes the report he moves on to the crime scene photo, as well as the list of items recovered.

He looks through each of the photos and can’t see anything he hadn’t seen before nor does he see anything in the list of recovered items that seems off.

“Nothing I can see in here. Have you identified the body?” Will asks as he closed the file and pushes it back to the officer.

“Yes, it’s a local; Robert Keys. He had spent time in prison, for child molestation.” Smith says before shaking his head, “I know you’re not supposed to speak ill of the dead, but it could not have been a more deserving person.”

“You think it might be a vigilante?”

“It might be, but we have almost no evidence either way.” The officer says “And you’re sure there was nothing else?”

Will thinks of the Wendigo and for a moment he thinks about talking about it. But something in him feels protective of the creature, “no I’m afraid not.”

“It was a long shot anyway.” Smith says, “Thank you anyway Will. I guess that’ll be it. I’ll show you out.”

They both get up and Smith leads Will out of the station and to the car park.

“Thank you again. And if there is anything else you can think of please contact me.” The officer says as he gives Will a business card.

Will nods, takes the card from the officer and says goodbye, then turns to his car. He gets into the car and watches as Smith walks back into the station.

Turning the key in the ignition he considers that the Wendigo had mostly likely been the cause for Keys’ death. The thought doesn’t horrify him, instead he’s almost comforted by the fact that the Wendigo had chosen someone so deserving of death.

He drives back towards his home to have another shower, as the work in the apple trees had left him feeling sticky, and to get ready for his date with Hannibal. The thought gives him a flutter in his stomach, he feels almost a little silly for being nervous at the prospect.

As he approaches his drive he realises the length of time it has been since he last had a date, let alone kissed someone, and in the past few hours he had been kissed and agreed to a date.

Parking in the driveway he gets out of the car, and he can already hear the dogs barking behind the door and it fills him with warmth.

When he opens the doors the dogs rush out to greet him with lolling tongues. Laughing he sinks to his knees so he can cuddle with each of them in turn.

After a few enthusiastic kisses from his dogs he rounds them up to take them back inside. They follow him happily and follow him upstairs to the bedroom.

His pack settles around the bed and watch as he chooses clothes for the evening, he almost wishes that they were able to give an opinion on the clothes he picks out. He knows that next to Hannibal he will always look underdressed. But he wants to make an effort, especially as Hannibal’s reaction to his clothes this morning had been very positive.

Once he has some clothes picked out he moves into his bathroom to shower. He can hear the dogs move to lie in front of the bathroom door and he chuckles to himself.

He steps into the shower and turns on the water. The heat begins to loosen his shoulder muscles as he lets the day’s events wash off.

He only showers as long as it takes to get clean, deciding against washing his hair again, and turns off the water. He wraps a towel around his waist again and wipes the steam from the mirror. Will reaches for his beard trimmer to trim his beard to a neater length. Once he’s happy with it he moves back into his bedroom.

Luckily his dogs have decided to leave the clothes alone and not roll around in them, which they have been known to do.

He gets dressed under the watchful eyes of his dogs, Buster has settled on top of the bed in the space where his slacks had just been.

He looks at his watch and realises that he still has 30 minutes until Hannibal is due to arrive.

Will sighs and heads downstairs, he can hear the click of the dogs’ nails on the floor as they follow him. He reaches the kitchen and decides to feed the dogs, as he isn’t sure of the time that he will be back to feed them.

They gladly eat when he places the food down for them. To calm the nerves that are making themselves known in the pit of his stomach he takes a tumbler from a cupboard and opens his bottle of whiskey. Pouring a couple of fingers into the glass he takes a quick sniff before downing the amber liquid.

He winces as the liquid hits the back of his throat, and it burns on the way down. He sets the glass down on the counter and goes into his back garden to fetch the basket of apples he had picked earlier.

Will goes into the kitchen and begins to tidy up the few things that are still sitting on the sides. He pours himself another finger of whiskey when the doorbell rings.

Downing the drink and placing the tumbler into the sink, he picks up the basket and makes his way to the front door.

In his eagerness he rips open the front door to a Hannibal who was obviously about to knock on the door. Will flushes, both from embarrassment but also the alcohol he had just consumed.

“You smell like apples.” Hannibal says instead of greeting, “I’m sorry that was rude of me. Let me try again. Hello Will.”

“Hello.” Will breathes before clearing his throat, “Yes, apples. I was in the orchard earlier and realised that they could do with picking. And since I was not able to offer up any fish I thought this might do.”

“Thank you Will truly, they are beautiful. Are you aware of the type at all?” Hannibal asks, Will shakes his head, “it’ll be a surprise then.”

Will smiles warmly. “Shall we?”

Hannibal nods and heads towards his car, Will locks his door and follows him. The car he has made out to be expensive in the fog, is a Rolls Royce. Will whistles at the sight of the car.

“I’m surprised you even considered taking the car to this neck of the woods.” Will says, he knows he wouldn’t even consider taking a car like this down the treacherous country roads.

“It’s actually not that bad you know. Maybe people have more respect of the car so drive more carefully.” Hannibal answers and takes the basket from Will before placing it in the trunk.

Will gets into the passenger seat of the car, and waits for Hannibal to sit down before buckling his seat belt.

“I have to ask Hannibal, surely a GP doesn’t earn so much as to have a Rolls Royce?” Wills feels a little foolish for asking.

Hannibal smiles, “Not typically no, but if said GP is also a count then yes.”

Will is dumbfounded. “A count? You’re not joking are you?”

“No I’m not, truly the title means very little, especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union but the family was old.” He starts the car and turns it around, “although during my childhood we were not wealthy by any stretch of imagination. My current wealth in part is due to the fact that after my parents’ death I was taken in by my uncle.”

“I’m sorry for your loss Hannibal.” Will says softly.

“Don’t be sorry, my uncle and aunt made a lot possible. After all through them I was schooled in France and then studied medicine at Imperial College.” Hannibal says.

“Still it’s never nice to lose family.”

“Tell me about your family, you’ve only ever mentioned a father. As there has been no mention of a mother I assume she was not in the picture?” Hannibal asks.

“You’re very perceptive. I’m sure that is helpful as a doctor.” Will says.

“It is as often the things patients do not say as what they do say. And you’re deflecting.”

Will chuckles and says, “that I am. My mother left my father and I when I was very young, so it was always just my dad and I. We were poor, moved from boatyard to boatyard, so that dad could fix boats.”

“Always the new boy, never quite fitting in anywhere.” Hannibal says.

“Got it in one. Although you were also often the odd one out I imagine.” Will counters.

“Perception seems to be a tool you have honed sharp too.”

“It comes hand in hand with empathy. At least that is what Jack would bank on.”

Hannibal makes a face, “I would prefer to not speak about Jack. And instead to learn a little more about you.”

Will nods, “although I have to tell you there is very little to tell, I fish, rescue dogs and fix boat motors.”

“That is plenty interesting. Besides I have found our conversations to be very stimulating.”

“I hope that is not the only thing you find stimulating.” Will says.

“Oh definitely.” Hannibal purrs, and it fills Will with warmth.

The tension in the car is incredible and Will is excited for the evening to come. The drive takes another 20 minutes before they reach a driveway, this driveway is flanked by two large pillars. The house is -

“I wouldn’t really call that a house Hannibal.” Will says in awe.

“It’s a Georgian country house, I believe it was one of the few properties that the family did manage to keep even with the Soviet meddling.”

The house that had come into view was a large stately home, he can recognise the architecture as Georgian from the windows as they get progressively smaller the higher they are placed.

“It’s… nice. I can’t even imagine how few of the rooms you actually use.”

Hannibal laughs, “I will admit that a lot of the rooms aren’t in use, but I keep them maintained.”

“By yourself?”

“For the most part. The bigger repairs I call someone in.”

“Do you ever sleep?” Will asks.

“I’ve found myself not needing much sleep since my days working in a hospital.”

Will laughs and Hannibal parks the car. Before Will can get out of the car Hannibal has somehow managed to get out of the car and to the other side to let Will out.

“I could get used to this.” Will says as he presses a quick kiss to Hannibal’s lips.

“And I could get used to that.” Hannibal says.

Will chuckles, “Now I believe I was promised dinner.”

“Then dinner you shall receive.” Hannibal says with a purr.

Will smiles as Hannibal takes the apples out of the trunk. Following him to the front door Will admires the house, that is lit from a few spotlights along the front wall.

When Hannibal opens the front door Will isn’t surprised that the decorating style that dominated the surgery is present here. Antique pieces sit together with modern furniture. Overall the house is furnished with darker materials than the waiting room, but it gives the hallway a moody feel.

“Let me take your coat.” Hannibal says, and Will shrugs off his coat and hands it to Hannibal.

He hangs up the coat in a tucked away closet.

“If you’ll follow me?” Hannibal says softly.

Will is led through a few corridors to a kitchen that looks like it could host a large restaurant. Almost everything in the kitchenis stainless steel.

“You weren’t kidding when you said that you enjoy cooking.” Will says.

“I find it incredibly gratifying to make food for people. I host a lot of dinner parties.” Hannibal states.

“Would you care for a drink?” Hannibal asks after a moment.

“A wine perhaps.” Will says.

“Of course.” Hannibal takes out a pair of glasses and then a glass decanter with a blood red wine. Pouring the liquid into each glass he says, “I’ll hope you enjoy these, it’s a summer red, so hopefully you’ll taste the hint of cherry.”

Will takes a sip and lets it move around his mouth. He can taste cherries as well as something else that he can’t quite make out.

“Hmm you’re right, I can definitely taste the cherry. And something else fruity.”

Hannibal smiles and makes an affirmative noise.

He gestures to an armchair in the corner, “take a seat, I have to finish a few things and I’d prefer the company.”

“Counter argument, I Sous-Chef. I promise I’m good with a knife.” Will says.

Hannibal nods and hands Will an apron. “Give me just a second.”

Hannibal takes off his jacket and rolls up his sleeves. Will is content to just watch Hannibal as he gathers ingredients and tools.

He sets up a chopping board on one workstation with a few vegetables.  
If you could julienne these please Will.” Hannibal says with a smile.

Will nods in assent and takes the knife that is lying on the chopping board and then a carrot. He finely chops the first one before getting Hannibal’s attention.

Hannibal smiles, “perfect.”

Will finishes chopping the vegetables and passes them over to Hannibal who lets his fingers linger over Will’s. It lasts for just a second but it makes Will burn for the prospect of things to come.

He contents himself with watching Hannibal as he makes the final adjustments to whatever he is concocting.

“I just need a minute to simmer something, so in the meantime I’ll take you to the dining room and I’ll be right through with the food.”

He is lead into a dining room that is in blue tones, one wall is taken up with a fireplace and a painting of Leda and the Swan.

“Interesting choice of painting.” Will comments before turning around to the rest of the room. The table in the middle is long, but Hannibal has set two places across from each other lengthwise.

“This is amazing Hannibal.” Will says as he moved over to the the wall opposite the fireplace that is covered in herbs, which gives the room a fresh aroma.

“Thank you. I think it adds a little something to the room, besides it’s a great way to be able to add herbs to any dish.” Hannibal says.

He pulls out a chair for Will, “take a seat, and I’ll be right back.” Hannibal almost whispers the last part into Will’s ear as he tucks the chair back in.

Hannibal leaves the room and Will has to catch his breath, he feels almost drunk on the tension.

When Hannibal returns it is in a flurry of smells, each more delicious than the last.

Hannibal sets down the plates in front of Will and then one on the other place setting.

“To start we have Cromer crab cakes with samphire, which is often known as sea asparagus, with just some butter.” Hannibal says.

Although the plate is relatively sparse it looks exquisite, the samphire is web of delicate green branches, that is glistening with melted butter.

He cuts into one the crab cakes and takes a bite, he moans at the flavour that bursts on his tongue. The crab meat is sweeter than any crab he has ever had, seasoned with only a little pepper, lemon juice and something smoky. Together with the salty samphire the flavours are well rounded.

“This is all local isn’t it?” Will asks between bites.

“Indeed it is, Cromer crabs are superior to any other British crabs, due to the chalk reef off the coast of Cromer. The samphire grows in the tidal salt marshes.” Hannibal says, “generally these ingredients don’t need much more than what nature has given them.”

“I imagine this was to complement a dish with fish.” Will says sheepishly.

“I would be a poor cook if I could not improvise. But no the choice in starter will become apparent when we get to the main.” Hannibal says.

“If this is what you can come up with in a few hours, I can only imagine what you are able to do with more preparation.” Will says, “I don’t think I have ever eaten better than when you feed me.”

Hannibal looks very pleased with himself and spears the last of his crab cake onto his fork and eats it. Will watches Hannibal for a few moments as he finishes eating. The man opposite him is undeniably attractive, and Will is stunned again by Hannibal. He almost wants to ask why him, but he just about manages to stop the words from tripping out.

Hannibal considers him in turn and then gestures to Will’s plate, “if you’re finished with the starter I can bring in the main?”

Will smiles, “that would be great thank you.”

Hannibal stands up and takes both of their plates back to the kitchen, leaving Will to his thoughts.

A part of him is focusing on the Wendigo, what it means and what he should tell Hannibal. The other part however is trying to relax into the hedonism that Hannibal is offering.

He jumps a little when Hannibal returns to the room and places a plate in front of him.

“Everything alright Will?” Hannibal asks.

“Sorry, I was just lost in thought and I didn’t hear you approach.” Will says sheepishly.

“Then I must apologise for my approach.” Hannibal says as he sits down, “I think due to the plants and the curtains sounds are dampened in this room.”

“That would explain it. Now tell me what have I got in front of me.” Will says.

“Of course, we have a classic steak and kidney pie, although this is venison as opposed to beef, an onion and red wine gravy and an assortment of local seasonal vegetables lightly steamed.”

“So you’ve chosen to focus on local ingredients today?”

“Yes absolutely, as a belated welcome to Norfolk.” Hannibal says.

“Thank you Hannibal, I appreciate it.” Will says with a warm smile.

Will cuts into the pie and it opens with an outpouring of steam, and the smell that hits him is mouthwatering.

He spears a piece of the meat in the pie onto his food and eats it. The kidney and steak complement each other perfectly. As the meat is venison it has a distinct gamey taste that he has never experienced before.

“This is delicious Hannibal. And the game is so different to any other meat I’ve had.” Will is sure at this point that Hannibal would be able to make anything taste good.

“I’m glad, I know not everyone enjoys game, but personally I think it adds very distinct flavouring.” Hannibal says.

“You know it’s odd, I visited the police station today, Smith asked me to look at some files, and I read the autopsy file. He was missing both his kidneys.” Will says.

“I hope then that I haven’t caused an uncomfortable association with this meal.” Hannibal says with a strange look on his face.

“Oh God no, of course not Hannibal. I just remembered the day’s events.” Will feels foolish for bringing up the topic. “Although there is something I neglected to tell the police.”

Hannibal considers him for a moment, “was it something important?”

“I don’t know Hannibal. It was silly really, it’s just that Smith asked me if I saw something anything else.” Will rubs his eyes after setting down his cutlery. “I know it was the Wendigo who killed him. But I cannot bring myself to say anything to the police. Because I feel protective of it.”

Hannibal considers him for a while before saying, “it’s natural to feel protective of something that no one else knows about.”

Will sighs and picks up his cutlery, “you’re right of course. I just feel like I’m being torn between what my past self would have done and wanting to protect something new.”

He begins eating again with Hannibal’s eyes on him. It feels oddly comforting to have his attention.

When Will looks up after a while he can meets Hannibal’s eyes and is dumbstruck with the amount of emotion in his eyes.

The most striking of which is the hunger. It sends thrills down Will’s spine and he abandons his flatware completely, and is almost out of his seat before Hannibal growls, “finish your food. You’ll need the energy.”

Will is more aroused by that simple statement than he thinks he has ever been.

Only when Hannibal begins eating again, does Will also restart.

To Will’s growing frustration Hannibal seems content to continue eating at the previous pace. He decides to try and temper himself so Will tries to concentrate on the food he is eating.

It’s difficult however to concentrate with the glances that Hannibal keeps sending him, Will almost feels like he is about to be eaten alive.

When he finishes eating he places down his flatware carefully, dabs his mouth with the napkin before placing it next to his empty plate. Hannibal gets up from his seat and takes both their plates.

Will gets out of his seat too and follows Hannibal to the kitchen. If Will had thought tension had been high between the two of them, it’s nothing in comparison to the tension in that moment, which feels almost electric.

Once they reach the kitchen Hannibal places the plates in the sink before rounding on Will.

His heart rate shoots up at the obvious desire in Hannibal’s eyes, there is an air of danger though that only throws him more deeply into arousal.

Will is pressed against one of the counters when Hannibal comes to him and surrounds him against the counter, his lips only inches from his.

“Tell me you want this.” Hannibal breathes against him.

“Yes, god yes.” Will breathes back and then Hannibal kisses him. The kiss is far messier and sloppier than any of their earlier kisses and Will is sure he is going to boil alive before they finish.

Hannibal is crowding him against the counter and Will is glad of the support. His cock is already painful against the zipper of his pants.

They break apart for air with their foreheads touching. Will feels drunk on the way that Hannibal’s hand is cradling the back of his head.

His own hand is resting on Hannibal’s chest, and he is grateful that he can feel Hannibal’s heart racing too.

Hannibal pulls Will close again to kiss him deeply, and Will is desperate to get Hannibal’s shirt off of him.

His hands are stilled by Hannibal who also gently draws back from their kiss.

“Upstairs I think?” Hannibal says, and Will can tell that it’s a question less than a statement.

“Yes.” Will says simply, and to highlight his point he lifts Hannibal’s chin slightly to seek his gaze. “Absolutely.”

Hannibal smiles softly and takes Will’s hand, pressing a light kiss on his palm before linking his fingers with Will’s.

He pulls gently at their joined hands and leads Will out of the kitchen and through a series of hallways that are only sparsely lit.

The bedroom where they end up is sparsely lit but after Hannibal slides a button on the wall, and the room is bathed in a warm glow.

Will is warmed by the look in Hannibal’s eyes, he isn’t sure if he’s ever been desired by any one before. One part of his brain supplies the image of the Wendigo, but he chooses to ignore this image.

“Come here.” Will says to Hannibal and the man prowls up to him. The kiss this time is full of nips and bites. Will sighs in happiness and bites his lower lip in answer.

Will reaches up to the collar of his shirt, and begins to unbutton them. After a moment Hannibal bats his hand away and replaces them with his own. He is meticulous in unbuttoning Will’s buttons, fingers stroking each bit of exposed skin.

Each touch feels like it is winding Will’s arousal higher and higher. Once Hannibal has unbuttoned his shirt, Will is the one pulling it out of his pants and then shrugging it off his shoulders.

Before Hannibal can do anything else, Will is unbuckling his belt and pulling it out of the loops. As he unbuttons his pants, Hannibal’s hands still his.

“I like to take my time with things.” Hannibal purrs. He leads Will towards the bed and pushes him lightly so that he falls over backwards on the bed.

“I knew the blue would look good next to your skin.” Hannibal says as he climbs on top of Will and the weight of the man both comforts him and stokes his arousal.

In this position he can feel Hannibal’s erection against his hip, and he grinds his hip against it. The moan that Hannibal makes is right next to Will’s ear.

He turns his head to capture Hannibal’s lips again. Hannibal lets Will explore his mouth with his tongue.

Hannibal’s hand reaches between them to unbutton Will’s pants and reaches into his underwear and wraps his hand around his cock. Will groans into Hannibal’s mouth.

***

When Will wakes he is alone in the bed, aching in all the right places and his stomach rumbles loudly. As if that sound had summoned Hannibal, the man appears in the bedroom door with a tray.

“Good morning Will. I trust you slept well?” Hannibal asks. His eyes linger on Will’s exposed chest. When Will looks down at himself he can see that there are several bite marks across his chest.

“Best sleep I’ve had in ages.” Will says through a stretch. “Am I getting breakfast in bed?”

“Of course, it would only be fair. As I recall I wore you out quite thoroughly.” Hannibal says as he approaches his bed and places the tray on his side of the bed. “Sit up Will.”

“Are you going to feed me?” Will says as he sits up.

“If you’d like.” Hannibal says with a sly smile.

“I’m not going to beg.” Will says.

“But you do beg oh so prettily.” Hannibal says as he leans over to kiss Will.

“I’d much rather you joined me for breakfast.” Will says.

“Your wish is my command.” Hannibal says as he settles himself on the bed next to Will.

He lifts the cover of the tray to reveal two plates covered in food.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were fattening me up.” Will says with a smile.

“Who says that isn’t precisely what I’m doing?” Hannibal says with a smile, and passes him a plate and cutlery, “now eat your breakfast.”

“Another protein scramble?” Will asks as he takes the first bite, this one tastes a little gamey.

“Indeed, I had some venison leftover, and waste not, want not, as people say.” Hannibal says with a smile.

“This is really good.” Will says and looks at Hannibal who is looking at him with the same hunger as the previous evening. “You keep that up and we’ll have food all over these sheets.”

“I can wash sheets, and you can take a shower.” Hannibal purrs.

Will sets his half-eaten plate on the floor and folds back the sheet covering him. Hannibal places his own plate on the floor and climbs over Will.

The silk of his pyjamas drags over Will’s cock, and it sends a shiver down his spine. Hannibal kisses Will languidly, and reaches down to pull his pyjama pants down to release his cock.

Aligning their cocks together, Hannibal wraps a hand around them both. The friction is a little too much and Will winces slightly. Hannibal reaches over to the nightstand and grabs the lube. He drizzles some over both of their cocks before wrapping his hand back around them.

This time the slide is easy and Will moans into Hannibal’s mouth as he works over them both for a few minutes. “Your hands are magic.”

Hannibal grins and on the upward pull adds a twist of his wrist. Will is a little embarrassed at how quickly Hannibal seems to be able to bring him to the brink of an orgasm.

Will leans his head backward and Hannibal takes advantage of the exposed neck to mouth along the tendons. As his movements become more erratic and both are thrusting blindly towards the finish, Hannibal bites down hard into the join of Will’s neck.

The sharp pain breaks the coil of increasing pleasure and he comes between them, Hannibal continues to work them both, and at the moment when Will is almost too sensitive he can feel Hannibal spurt between them too.

Breathing heavily against each other Hannibal removes the hand from between them and begins to lick the come off of it. Will smiles at Hannibal and then kisses the taste off of his tongue.

“Now that is a way to start a day.” Will says after he catches his breath. He looks over at the clock on the nightstand, and realises the time.

“Hannibal you’re going to have to get off and let me up. I have to go home. The dogs need to be fed and let out.” Will says.

Hannibal sighs, let’s go of Will who stands up. He feels slightly sticky due to the lazy clean up of the evening before and this morning’s activities.

Pulling up his pyjama pants Hannibal stands up too. “I’m guessing you want a shower. I’ll show you to the bathroom.” Hannibal leads him through the hallway to the bathroom. The entire room is covered in brown marble with a walk-in shower with room enough for two.

When he steps inside to the bathroom he turns back to Hannibal and asks, “care to join me?”

Hannibal nods and steps out of his pyjama pants before joining Will in the shower. He reaches around Will to turn on the war, Will sighs in happiness when the water runs over his sore shoulder muscles.

They shower together, taking turns to wash each other’s hair. Will enjoys the intimacy with Hannibal that isn’t fully sexual in nature. Especially having someone else wash his hair makes Will feel looked after and loved.

When they finish showering they dry themselves with the towels that are around the bathroom. The towels are the softest towels he has ever felt in his life.

Hannibal leaves the bathroom and returns a few moments later with a pile of clothes. He hands some to Will, the clothes he had passed over are not the ones that he had worn the last evening. Instead it is a pair of chinos and shirt, as well as underwear.

He gets dressed and is a little surprised that everything fits like a glove. He looks over to Hannibal, who is wearing the most casual clothes Will has ever seen him in, a pair of chinos and a soft red cable-knit sweater.

Hannibal catches him looking and gives him a small smile. “Let’s get you home to your dogs.”

Will nods and follows Hannibal downstairs and then to the car. His clothes from the previous evening are in a bag that Hannibal has provided.

The sun is shining through grey clouds weakly and there is fog that covers the ground.

He gets into the car with Hannibal who smiles at him and then they drive off.

The drive back to Will’s house is done in companionable silence, both content to watch the other when mood or opportunity allows them.

When they reach Will’s house, Will is almost a little sad to be leaving Hannibal’s company, but he is sure that he will probably be seeking out the doctor’s company relatively soon.

He gets out of the car and Hannibal gets out too, he walks around the car to Will and kisses him. Will smiles into the kiss and deepens it.

After a few moments Hannibal breaks them apart and says, “you go look after your dogs and I need to get ready for work.”

“When do you want me to bring the clothes back to you? I’ll wash them first of course.” Will asks as he moves back out of Hannibal’s embrace.

Hannibal smiles, “they are yours to keep.”

“Hannibal I can’t accept these.” Will says sternly.

“Indulge me Will.” Hannibal says and Will can’t deny him this.

“Do you like me clothed in all the things you gave me?” Will asks slyly.

“You know me far too well already Will.” Hannibal says and kisses him one final time. “But yes I enjoy seeing you in the things I have provided you with.”

“I’ll do my best to wear these things when I next see you.” Will says.

Hannibal hums in thought. Will knows that he is in deep in thought about what to feed Will next.

“I’ll phone you Will to arrange to see you again.” Hannibal says and gets into the car. Will watches the car as it drives off until he can no longer see it.

He digs his keys out of the bag of clothes and unlocks his front door. He walks into the hallway the dogs bound up to him in joy.

Will strokes each of the dogs in turn, and then moves to the kitchen to prepare food for the dogs. Once he sets down the bowls for them, they start eating with gusto. He smiles as he watches them and thinks about how Hannibal would feel about having them in his house.

The thought of joining his life with Hannibal’s might have come sooner than he would have considered for anyone else, but with Hannibal it feels like he is being seen for the first time.

When the dogs have finished eating he picks up the bowls, cleans them and leaves them to dry on the sideboard. He looks out the kitchen window and through the fog he is sure he can see the Wendigo again.

He races out of the kitchen and through the back door towards the woods. Just in front of the woods there is the Wendigo, Will comes to stop in front of it.

The Wendigo and Will consider each other for long moments before both reach out a hand. When their hands meet there is a spark in the air and Will can’t stop the words from tumbling out.

“What do you want from me?”

The answer is not in words but impressions he gets from the creature in front of him. He has the distinct feeling of desire and love. It’s almost overwhelming in it’s depth. He blinks away the tears in his eyes and when he opens them again the Wendigo is gone.

Will walks into the woods and around the same place where the body was found last time is another body.

This body is again eviscerated with blood soaking the ground. He walks closer to the body to inspect it more closely.

The man’s face is stuck in a terrified grimace, almost as if he had been screaming at the moment of death.

He decides after only a moment of consideration not to phone the police and instead decides to ring Hannibal.

Will walks back to the house, the dogs have spilled out into the garden and are chasing each other. This time they daren’t go anywhere near the woods.

Once he is inside the house he grabs his phone and dials Hannibal’s number. He answers after two rings.

“Will, I’m glad to hear from you. I am currently in an appointment so can I call you back.” Hannibal says.

“Of course. Speak to you soon.” Will says a little disappointed.

Will watches the phone for several minutes until it rings.

“How quickly can you get here?” Will says by way of greeting.

“I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon. I was going to wait until this evening to call if you hadn’t called. I guess if I rearrange some things I can be there in about 40 minutes. Do I need to bring anything?” Hannibal says with obvious mirth in his voice.

“Wear something you don’t mind getting dirty.” Will says, “I’ll see you in 40 minutes”

Will hangs up the phone and curses loudly. He moves into the living room and watches as the dogs trickle into the room. Buster is the first to come up to him and press his small body against his legs.

He can sense that the dogs are tense because he is. After 35 minutes the doorbell rings and he rushes towards the door.

Ripping open the door the tension bleeds from him at the sight of Hannibal. He smiles at the man in front of him, and takes in his appearance. Hannibal is dressed differently to the morning, it is apparent that he has just come from work, as he is dressed in a three piece suit in a dark grey with a red windowpane check.

He gestures at the duffle Hannibal is carrying, “I hope you’ve brought something more casual as you will ruin your suit.”

Hannibal nods and follows Will into the house. He sets down his bag in the living room and then follows Will outside into the garden and then the woods.

The path to the body feels like a path he has trodden over and over in the past few weeks.

When they reach the body Hannibal makes a knowing sound. “Another Wendigo victim. At your doorstep.”

“Yes, and I can’t help but feel that these are gifts. And how can I deny these gifts by calling the police.” Will says in a rush. He breathes two beats before turning to Hannibal who is looking at him intensely.

“So I need your help in hiding the body.” Will says, “and I understand if you don’t want to help or ever see me again. And-“

Will is cut off by Hannibal taking his face into his hands and kissing him. Will responds enthusiastically and winds his arms around Hannibal to hold him close.

“Will, Wild horses couldn’t keep me away from you.” Hannibal says when they break apart.

Will smiles and lets go of Hannibal. “You ought to get changed. Because we have a body to hide.”

Hannibal laughs and takes Will’s hand and drags him to the house, once he’s back inside the house he lets go of Will’s hand.

“Will you show me to somewhere I can get changed?” Hannibal asks as he picks up his bag.

“Oh of course. How rude of me. Follow me.” Will leads him upstairs to the master bedroom. “I have to apologise for the mess, not many people visit, and this is the only room that is actually finished.”

“No problem at all Will. I’ll head down in just a moment.” Hannibal says and Will nods before heading downstairs.

He sits in the living room with the dogs until Hannibal come downstairs. He is wearing a pair of jeans and a soft grey jumper.

“Right. You ready?” Will asks and Hannibal nods.

Will moves into the garden, but before going into the woods he heads into the shed. He fetches tarpaulin and shovels from inside and hands one to Hannibal, who takes it from him.

They head into the woods where the body is. Will considers the body for a moment before rolling out the tarpaulin next to it.

“Can you help me by starting to dig a hole?” Will asks.

“Of course.” Hannibal says and starts digging. Without Will having to say anything Hannibal is putting the earth onto the tarpaulin.

Will is surprised at the speed at which Hannibal is able to dig when he joins in with the digging.

Within a few minutes they have managed to dig a hole that is large enough to hold the man. They place the body into the hole and then cover it with the soil. The topsoil they cover with branches and leaves to make it look like the floor before.

By the time they finish both are covered in mud, blood and sweat. Both of them head inside the house, and Will leads Hannibal to the master bedroom.

“Why don’t you go a freshen up? I can bring up you bag if you want?” Will says.

“I had left my suit up here, I hung it up in the wardrobe. But I would like it very much if you joined me in the shower?” Hannibal asks with a grin. Will doesn’t mind that Hannibal went into his wardrobe and put his suit there.

“I think that is an offer I can definitely take you up on.” Will says. Hannibal grins and pulls Will close to kiss him.

Will pulls Hannibal into the bathroom and begins to undress him. As ever Hannibal slows Will down by stilling his hands, and says “it’s a marathon not a race.”

He kisses Hannibal in answer. Although he does slow down his fingers undoing Hannibal’s buttons.

Hannibal undoes Will’s shirt buttons, and pulls the shirt out his pants before pushing it off Will’s shoulders. “Looks like I will have to replace that shirt.”

“Hannibal no, I can wash it.” Will says as he toys with the last of Hannibal’s buttons.

Hannibal bends down to pick up the shirt and rips it in half and says. “Now you definitely need a new one.”

Will laughs, the demonstration of Hannibal’s strength was definitely impressive and he can feel the stirrings of arousal deep in the pit of his stomach.

Hannibal nips at his lips and continues to undress Will, soon he is naked except his socks and Hannibal is still mostly dressed.

Will presses himself against Hannibal who is working on taking his jumper off. When the jumper is around his neck, Will uses the opportunity to swiftly unbuckle his belt and pull it through the loops. He drops it with a clatter against the floor.

The jumper joins the belt on the floor followed by Hannibal’s pants and underwear which he pulls down in one move. His socks are pulled off and then Hannibal is naked in front of him. Running his hands down his chest to his groin, Will takes a hold of Hannibal’s cock and pumps it once slowly.

The groan that Hannibal makes Will feels right down to the bone. Pulling off his socks quickly, he straightens out and pushes Hannibal backwards towards the shower and the man follows. Once in the shower Will is crowded into one corner of the shower and Hannibal sinks to his knees.

Will moans in anticipation and the feeling of Hannibal breathing over his groin makes his cock twitch.

Hannibal’s lips ghost over his cock but instead of actually making contact Hannibal turns Will by his hips till he is facing the wall. His heart races in excitement as Hannibal grabs his ass and pulls his cheeks apart slightly. He blows over Will’s hole and his skin pebbles into goosebumps across his arms.

The first gentle lick sends a wildfire through Will. “Fuck Hannibal.” He groans out and that seems to be encouragement enough for Hannibal who licks Will more broadly.

Alternating between broad slow licks and fast licks Will is a mess before Hannibal’s tongue dips in. His moans are muffled against the wall and his cheeks are wet with tears. Hannibal’s tongue alternates between licking over him and then dipping in, with curled tongue to reach as far as he can.

He feels something more firm press against him and he knows that Hannibal has introduced a finger that sinks in for the second knuckle. The light fullness next to the nibbling, sucking and licking of Hannibal’s mouth have him close to the precipice.

But Hannibal seems to know and his other hand curls round him to squeeze tightly at the base of his cock staving off the orgasm. Will sobs at the denial and Hannibal pulls back slightly to murmur praise at him.

When another finger is added he is torn between relief and desire for more. Hannibal’s growled, “soon,” makes Will realise he had spoken out loud.

Hannibal stands up and moulds himself around Will’s back, his fingers still curled inside of him. The change of angle has them just shy of brushing his prostate. Will is thrusting back against the fingers and forward to rub his aching cock against the tiles.

“If only we had lube my dear boy. Just think of all the things we could do.” Hannibal growls into his ear.

Will gasps, “I don’t care. Fuck me, please god Hannibal fuck me.”

Hannibal pauses in his ministrations and seems to consider for a moment, he draws his fingers from Will’s body who whines at the loss.

When Hannibal’s weight moves back, Will is about to turn around in anger until Hannibal says, “stay there.”

Something in Hannibal’s voice is compelling so he stays in the position he is in, but not without voicing his displeasure.

Behind him he can hear Hannibal rummaging around in the pile of clothing until he makes a pleased sound.

“Always helps to be prepared.” Then Will can feel Hannibal drawing closer, when he hears the snick of a plastic tube cap he sighs in relief.

A slick cold finger massages his rim before sinking into him easily. This slide is far more pleasurable than before.

Hannibal has the other arm tight around Will’s chest and he whispers praise and filth in equal measure into his ear.

A second finger is added, followed by a third in quick succession. The burn is just on the right side of pleasurable and he urges Hannibal to fuck him with each brush of his prostate.

Hannibal withdraws his fingers and Will is about to curse him when he hears the slick sound of Hannibal stroking himself. He can feel Hannibal’s cock nudging against him in the next moment and with a steady long thrust Hannibal sheaths himself.

The position isn’t the most conducive but Will couldn’t care less, as Hannibal is focussed on slow long thrusts that rub against Will’s prostate. Hannibal’s other arm joins the first around his chest and Will clasps one of his hands around Hannibal’s, the other is holding him from crashing into the wall.

Will is balanced on his tiptoes as the thrusts become faster and shorter, and he feels himself racing higher and higher towards orgasm like Icarus racing towards the sun.

He tumbles over as if his wings had indeed melted off, and behind him Hannibal groans through Will’s orgasm before coming deep inside Will.

They stay standing there for a while, until Hannibal’s softening cock slips out of him, followed by a dribble of come.

“Now the shower is worth it.” Hannibal whispers into his ear.

Will considers this for a moment, “Yeah.”

On shaky legs Will turns round and reaches around Hannibal to turn on the shower. The water is warm but still feels cool on Will’s overheated skin.

Hannibal smiles at Will and kisses him gently. The water washes the come from Will’s stomach, and he sighs in happiness. Sated and pleasantly sore he reaches for the shampoo bottle on the corner shelf, but Hannibal takes it from his hands.

Having his hair washed by Hannibal is fast becoming one of his favourite things. Once his hair has been rinsed, Hannibal spends time fingering him, and it keeps Will in a state of oversensitivity and warmth.

“Hmm, let me wash your hair Hannibal.” Will says breathlessly. He is not near arousal instead enjoying the care Hannibal is taking with his body.

“Give me a second.” Hannibal whispers into his ear and a shiver runs down his spine. Hannibal spends a few more minutes with his fingers inside Will teasing him with light brushes around his prostate.

Hannibal pulls his fingers out and Will whines at the loss. Hannibal smiles into Will’s shoulder and turns him around. Kissing Will gently he passes over the shampoo bottle.

Will lathers up the shampoo in his hands before spreading it through Hannibal’s hair. Hannibal nuzzles into his arm as Will applies pressure to his scalp.

Rinsing Hannibal’s hair he admires the sandy blonde colour of the strands as he winds his fingers through them.

He cups Hannibal’s face and draws him close for another kiss. However his stomach takes that opportunity to grumble loudly.

Hannibal has apparently taken it upon himself to make sure that Will doesn’t spend a minute in his presence hungry as he looks at Will with concern.

He steps out of Will’s embrace and out of the shower. “Give me 10 minutes and I’ll whip something up to eat.”

Hannibal wraps a towel around his waist and leaves the bathroom. Will chuckles as he turns off the water and gets out of the shower.

He grabs another towel and dries himself off perfunctorily before walking to his bedroom and grabbing some clothes. Dressing in a jumper and jeans, he heads downstairs, the dogs gather around him and press close to his legs.

In the kitchen Hannibal is stood in front of the stove, he has gotten dressed, presumably from the duffel bag.

“What are you making?” Will asks Hannibal, who turns around to him with a smile.

“Just some liver and onions to go with the bread you had left over.” Hannibal says with a smile.

“How did you manage to scrounge up some liver so quickly?” Will asks.

“I had left some here in the freezer last time I was here cooking.” Hannibal says.

“You are sneaky.” Will says with a wry grin. “It almost feels like you are intent on replacing everything that isn’t from you.”

“I won’t deny it, there is a part of me that is thrilled by the idea.”

Will grins and takes a fork from a drawer, he spears a piece of liver from the pan and places it in his mouth. The burst of flavour in his tongue is a marvel. “I don’t know how you do it. You make something so simple taste amazing.”

“High praise indeed.” Hannibal says with a smile. “Now why don’t we have some food and then unfortunately I have to leave again.”

Will makes a mock disappointed face before reaching for the cupboard with the plates. But Hannibal says, “tables already set.”

“Now I feel a little like I’m useless.” Will says.

“On the contrary my dear Will. I like to take care of _mine._ ”

The way Hannibal says mine sends a shiver down Will’s spine.

“Besides, I know that not many people have done nice things for you.” Hannibal says.

Will considers Hannibal for a moment. It’s the most thoughtful another person has ever been of him.

“Let’s eat shall we?” Will says after a beat. Hannibal nods and plates the food, he hands one of the plates to Will.

They carry the plates through to the dining room and sit down at the table.

The meal passes in easy silence for a few moments. “Did you hear anything more from the police?”

“No, nothing yet.” Will says with a shrug, “although it’s not surprising considering there was little evidence to go on.”

“I can imagine, and they probably won’t be looking too hard for the killer of a paedophile.” Hannibal says.

Will frowns at Hannibal. “How do you know that?”

“I believe you mentioned it previously.” Hannibal says.

“I’m pretty sure I didn’t.” Will says thoughtfully.

“I am sure you mentioned it over dinner the other night.” Hannibal says.

Will isn’t entirely sure of the fact but he leaves the matter for now.

The rest of the meal is spent in silence with Will’s mind turning. But he chooses to ignore the nagging feeling for now.

When they finish the meal Will clears the table with Hannibal following him into the kitchen.

“You seem to be a little distracted Will. Is there anything I can do to help?” Hannibal asks.

“I’m sorry, I’m not great company at the moment. I just have a lot to think about.” Will says.

Hannibal nods, and says, “you’re still good company. But know you can always talk to me if you wish.”

Will squeezes Hannibal’s hand, “Thank you Hannibal.”

He leads Hannibal to the front door, kissing him at the door. Hannibal gets into his car and Will watches him drive off.

Will goes into the living room, the dogs look at him questioningly. He gets his laptop from the coffee table and sits down on the sofa.

Buster jumps up to the couch and curls into a small ball at his right hip. Obviously jealous Zoe also jumps up on the sofa but curls up on his left side, not before giving Buster a dirty look. The rest of his pack surround his feet as much as they can.

He opens up the laptop and waits for it to start. In fact he has logged in he opens the browser and begins looking into the Wendigo.

He spends hours searching on the internet. Making notes on the information he gathers, Will realises relatively quickly that the information Hannibal had given him appears to be the most comprehensive.

One additional detail he learns is that there are similar legends in Eastern Europe. From what he can see it appears that the Wendigo makes an appearance alternatively in Norfolk and smaller towns in the Eastern block.

Some of the dates are quite difficult to identify as the records from the Soviet Union have not been kept.

But the legend remained the same no matter the country or the decade. The antlered figure appeared in a community and people would start dying. It didn’t look like the Wendigo tended to eviscerate its victims. There were a few cases every so often, but after a few months the gruesome deaths stopped, and instead it was an uptick in normal deaths.

Will sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose, a pain has begun between his eyes, and he decides to fetch himself an aspirin.

The dogs give him annoyed looks as he gets up from his seat. Yet they follow him upstairs to the bathroom where he keeps his medication. In the bathroom he finds the piles of clothes he and Hannibal had left there. He picks up Hannibal’s and after taking the aspirin brings them downstairs.

Checking the labels he realises he won’t be able wash any of them in his house. Each of the items smells like Hannibal, and he finds himself inhaling the scent greedily.

After a while he decides to straighten out the clothing, and drapes it over the back of a chair.

He looks at the watch on his clock on the oven and realises it’s 8 o’clock. His feeling of time is all over the place, he knows he should be hungry but lunch with Hannibal had filled him for a while. But he knows his dogs must be starving so he starts preparing food.

Halfway through making the food he realises he is out of some ingredients, but he knows some of them are in the freezer. He opens the door to the freezer and is surprised to find a whole host of things he doesn’t remember putting into the freezer.

When Will digs around the sealed packages, he realises almost all of them are various organs, as well as a few cuts of meat.

He is partly annoyed by the liberties Hannibal is taking with his food, but the majority of him is filled with warmth, that Hannibal can see himself spending so much time at his house.

He retrieves the ingredient he does need, and thaws it in the microwave. Adding it to the rest of the mixture he fills into the dog bowls.

Taking the food outside, much to the excitement of the dogs, he places the bowls down for them. With excited yips they launch themselves at the food.

Watching them with a smile for a few moments before returning to the kitchen. He begins tidying up the kitchen, storing the food mixture in the fridge he begins washing up the cookware and the plates from earlier in the day.

Whilst he washes up he finds a note addressed to him on the counter. His name is lettered in beautiful calligraphy, and he knows instantly it’s from Hannibal.

He continues the washing up but the note is all he can focus on. So much so he drops a teacup and it smashes on the floor. Cursing he crouches to pick up the shards, he manages to cut himself on one of the shards. Careful not to get any blood on the shards he places them onto the counter before wrapping his hand in paper towels.

Will heads back upstairs to the bathroom to find some bandages. He wraps his hand in some gauze and secures it as best he can.

Remembering the note Will goes back to the kitchen and opens it. As he had suspected the note is from Hannibal, like the envelope the lettering is stunning.

_My dearest Will,_

_I must apologise for this lunchtime, I have searched my own memory and you were right you did not mention him._

_Instead I am sure that I treated him during my time as an emergency doctor. It was an injury he had sustained whilst imprisoned, as his cell mates had found out his history, and subsequently decided to teach him a lesson._

_I think that the latest victim of the Wendigo was another sexual predator, as again he was a patient of mine._

_Will I can only hope that this information does not make you feel obliged to go running to the police, as I am scared for your well-being. I know you will push yourself to exhaustion in pursuit. I’m not sure I will be able to sit idly by and watch you break yourself._

_I’ll be awaiting your call,_

_yours, if you’ll have me still,_

_Hannibal_

The letter moves something in him and he folds it and places it in his shirt pocket.

He looks at the pile of shards on the counter and considers it for a few moments. Something compels him into to pick up the pieces, and take them into the living room. Placing them on the living room table he goes looking for glue to repair the cup.

When he finds a tube he goes to sit at the table and begins arranging the shards in order.

When he is happy with the placement he begins glueing them together, overall he manages to recreate the teacup but there are a few gaps where some of the shards are missing. Remembering kintsugi Will goes back to the cupboard where the various pieces are stored he uses to create lures.

Luckily he finds the gold paint he occasionally uses to pain the lures to make them more attractive. Taking it back to the table he sits back down and carefully begins to paint the glue lines in the gold paint.

When he has finished he considers the cup, it is not nearly as beautiful as some of the images he had seen, but he thinks it’s beautiful in its own way.

Will feels exhausted, so he heads upstairs. The dogs follow him upstairs into the bedroom and settle into their beds watching him with curious head tilts.

He pulls off his clothes and pulls on his sleep t-shirt and gets into bed.

Before he falls asleep he reaches for the book on his nightstand. It’s an easy read he had picked up at the supermarket, wanting something that would allow his mind to switch off. After a few pages he finds himself too tired to continue reading, turning off the light. He falls asleep quickly after the light is off.

Will wakes up and his room is bathed in the red light of dawn. He stretches out his limbs and almost kicks Zoe who seems to have snuck into his bed during the night.

He sends her off the bed and she gives him a dirty look as she jumps down. He chuckles and folds back the duvet and gets up.

He opens the curtains and is not surprised to see fog, Will has come to learn that fog is common in Norfolk precisely because of the flat land.

Heading downstairs he turns on the coffee maker and takes the dog food out of the fridge to let it warm up slightly.

Slipping on shoes he opens the door to the garden the dogs stream outside, following them into the garden it’s a lot cooler than he had anticipated. Will goes back inside to fetch a jacket that he pulls on before heading back outside.

He watches the dogs for a few moments and then decides he wants to double check the place where Hannibal and he had buried the body the previous day.

When he reaches the spot he sees the Wendigo hunched over something. Will takes a step forward and the creature’s head shoots up and round to see Will.

He can now see what the creature was concentrating on, there is a body on the floor. And by the looks of it the Wendigo has just split open the abdomen.

Will approaches the Wendigo slowly, who considers him for long moments, before beckoning Will closer with a long finger. As if compelled he moves closer to the figure and drops to his knees next to the Wendigo.

The creature takes Will’s hand ever so gently in his and guides it to the open abdomen. The body is still warm, and feeling blood beneath his bare fingers is very different to having it beneath gloved fingers.

It’s not unpleasant, and the Wendigo seems to sense this because he strokes his hand, before taking Will’s hand to his lips.

The creature licks around his fingers and it’s incredibly arousing. Will reaches with his other hand to the Wendigo’s face. The skin beneath his fingers is surprisingly soft. A little warmer to the touch than human skin, and maybe a touch tougher, but definitely pleasant.

The Wendigo considers him for long moments, he releases Will’s hand and licks the last few drops of blood from his lips. Will mirrors the movement, licking over his own lips which feel dry all of a sudden.

Will leans forward on instinct and captures the Wendigo’s lips with his own. The creature kisses back enthusiastically, and Will traces the Wendigo’s teeth with his tongue. In answer the creature nips at his lips gently, and Will then knows that the creature is the one to leave the bite marks on the bodies.

The Wendigo seems to sense some hesitation from him and draws him away from the body. Kissing Will again, he leads him to the floor.

With his back on the cool floor Will is protected from a chill due to the heat of the Wendigo. The crown of antlers brackets Will’s head on the floor, and he feels pinned down on the ground but doesn’t feel inclined to struggle to escape.

The creature leans down to kiss him again and Will burns with desire. The Wendigo takes to slowly slicing Will’s clothes from him using sharp nails. Each inch of exposed of skin is nipped with sharp teeth and then soothed with a hot tongue.

Will is panting with stomach heaving by the time the Wendigo has reached his groin. Engulfing his cock in warm wet heat, Will curses.

The Wendigo spends a few moments lathing his cock with his tongue before dipping lower.

The first touch of tongue against his hole makes his cock twitch. Will cants his hips to allow for better access. Very soon the Wendigo’s tongue penetrates him, and Will is sure that his tongue reaches further than any other tongue.

He keeps attempting making aborted thrusts into the air but one of the Wendigo’s hands holds his hips down. A long finger joins the tongue, it feels more slippery than what Will knows it should from just saliva.

The long finger is merciless in its pursuit of his prostate, each brush feels like a bolt of electricity running through his body. A second finger joins the first, the Wendigo scissors them slightly to stretch him.

Will welcomes the burn as it distracts him from the orgasm that he feels is far too close. When a third is added he winces, but the initial sting begins to fade into a pleasurable haze.

The Wendigo lifts his head and leans over Will to kiss him again. Will looks down his own body and sees that his cock is leaking. Fingers are withdrawn from him and Will whines at the loss. The creature lowers his own cock against Will’s and he grinds up against him.

Will only realises after a while that he is chanting “fuck me” the Wendigo sends amusement layered with burning desire.

Something nudges at his hole and Will forces himself to relax. The Wendigo enters him with one long thrust, Will moans when he feels the cock inside him is ridged. Each ridge drags inside him with each thrust, and the pressure on his prostate has him close to orgasm once again.

When the creature begins thrusting Will almost screams with pleasure. The Wendigo leans closer over him, the thrusts are deep and becoming faster and faster, then the creature takes Will’s arm. He caresses one spot on his arm before kissing it gently.

The bite is shocking in both its existence and its depth. But the pain brings him over the edge and Will comes in spurts between them. The Wendigo comes soon after, and there is a increasing pressure inside Will which has him orgasming again.

The Wendigo is rocking into him over and over again and Will can feel wave after wave of come fill him, until he feels swollen.

He wants to roll over but the Wendigo stills him and brackets his body with his. Will smiles slightly and his hands trail over the antlers that crowd his peripheral vision. In his mind the Wendigo is giving him an impression of deep satisfaction and love, the emotions brings tears to his eyes.

After a while the Wendigo pulls out of him, and Will sobs at the loss. The come begins to dribble out of him, the Wendigo bends down and begins to lick him clean.

He expects to be over sensitive, but something about the Wendigo’s tongue is soothing, and makes his cock fill again despite his previous orgasm.

The Wendigo wraps one of his long hands around Will’s cock and times it with the motions of his tongue. It has Will racing towards another orgasm within moments, and Will can feel the encouragement from the Wendigo in his mind.

He reaches for the creature’s antlers and holds on as he bucks back and forth between the hand around his cock and the tongue in his ass.

Will comes with a groan onto his heaving stomach and the Wendigo licks his front clean. He lies there panting for quite some time and the Wendigo kisses him gently, Will can taste himself on his lips.

It’s only when he hears the distant barking that he realises the situation he find himself in. All he can sense from the Wendigo is understanding as he sits up.

He reaches for the Wendigo’s face and cups the cheekbones and says, “I don’t know what happens now or why you do what you do. But you have to hide the body.”

Will feels the affirmation from the Wendigo, and he kisses him before standing up.

Realising that his clothes are shredded, he picks up the tatters before glancing back at the Wendigo. Who waves at him as if to tell him to go ahead.

His legs feel like jelly as he walks out of the forest and he feels sore. The dogs consider him for long moments when he reaches them but approach him with wagging tails.

They walk back to the house together and he lets them into the house. The dogs seem content to stream into the living room to settle down. Will goes upstairs and into the bathroom, he throws his tattered clothes into the bin. He looks at himself in the mirror, there is a definite flush to him, and there are more bruises to the ones Hannibal had left on him. Most obvious is the bite mark on his arm, he can see the edges of the bite mark from Hannibal on his neck.

He steps into the shower and lets the warm water wash over him. The heat soothes his aching muscles, and washes the bits of twigs and soil that cover his back.

When he finishes showering he wraps up in a towel and moves into the bedroom. He gets dressed in jeans and a jumper and heads back downstairs.

Looking at the clock he notices it is near lunchtime. He sends Hannibal a quick text to let him know that he will be visiting for lunch. Within moments he receives a response from Hannibal in the affirmative.

Will picks up Hannibal’s clothes from the back of the chair and then goes into the living room to fetch the repaired teacup.

He checks in on his dogs who are either sleeping or amusing themselves with toys. Locking the front door behind him he places the things for Hannibal onto the passenger seat and drives off his property.

The fog has lifted somewhat but he is still careful whilst driving around the countryside.

He reaches the village in 30 minutes and parks outside the surgery. Will sees that Hannibal is already waiting for him outside the practice. He gets out of car and walks up to Hannibal who greets him with a kiss.

Will can’t help but compare the kiss with that of the Wendigo’s, Hannibal seems to sense his distraction and asks, “everything alright my dear Will?”

“I’m sorry I just have a lot on my mind.” Will says. He passes over Hannibal’s clothes who thanks him.

Then he thrusts the package with the teacup into Hannibal’s hands, who looks at him quizzically.

“I broke a teacup, and then tried my hand at kintsugi and thought you might like it.”

Hannibal opens the package and his eyes light up with joy. “Oh Will, it’s beautiful. It reminds me of the pieces Aunt Murasaki had in her collection.”

Will smiles and says, “I thought we could have some lunch if you have time?”

“For you Will I always have time.Hannibal says as he places a hand in the small of Will’s back. “There is one cafe in the village which does excellent food. One of the few places I like to eat.”

Hannibal directs him to a small cafe about 5 minutes walk from the surgery, the entire walk Hannibal keeps the hand on Will’s back and the possessiveness of the action makes Will feel warm.

The cafe is beautiful in its simplicity, kept in natural wood for the furniture and white walls. Will had almost expected it to be fussy, but instead Will can understand why Hannibal likes it. When Hannibal approaches the counter an older woman walks in from the kitchen and gives Hannibal a warm smile.

“Oh Jim, it’s the doctor. How are you?” She says in the local accent, “those tablets you gave me are working a treat.”

“I’m glad to hear that Bea.” Hannibal says with a smile, before waving at the surly looking man who has also made an appearance in the cafe.

“Alright?” the man says, Will presumes it’s Jim.

“Never better Jim. I see the weight is coming off now.” Hannibal says. “Two of the usual please Bea.”

She grins and says, “is this him?” Hannibal only nods and she continues, “well then welcome here.”

Will forces a smile and moves closer to Hannibal, who places the hand to the small of his back, and then leads him to a small table in the corner.

“I promise despite Jim’s gruff exterior he is a wonderful chef. And Bea is an excellent baker.” Hannibal says as they take their seats.

“He’s a flatterer he is.” Bea says conspiratorally to Will when she brings over two glasses of water to the table.

“Oh that he is indeed.” Will says, “but I have no doubt that your food is excellent. I’ve come to know Hannibal as somewhat of a foodie.”

“Somewhat is one word for it.” Bea says with a smile, she turns to Hannibal, “He’s a good’un.”

“I have no intention of getting rid of him.” Hannibal says and it sends a shiver down Will’s spine.

“Good.” Bea says, and she considers for a moment before saying, “you hear that old Tomkins went missing?”

Will looks at Hannibal who nods, he has no doubt in that moment that old Tomkins is the most recent body that was found.

“Not that it’s a shame really. Horrid little man.” Bea says before walking back to the counter.

“Old Tomkins, sounds like another local legend.” Will says to Hannibal under his breath so that Hannibal has to lean across the table to hear him better.

“He supposedly killed his wife and young daughter. No evidence was ever found, at least nothing to convict him on. But everyone is convinced that he did.”

Will only makes a non-committal sound, “mostly in cases like that it’s the spouse, even if he was to be serial killer they can start with their immediate family.”

Hannibal looks at him with such fascination and then smiles at him, “it’s amazing the associations that your mind is able to make with even so little information.”

“You treated them.” Will says.

“Yes, and although they never said anything, there is only so many times bruises can be explained away. I fear that I may have led to their death, as just before they were killed I had given her information for shelters in Norwich.”

The guilt is clear on Hannibal’s face and Will reaches for Hannibal’s hand, squeezing it gently. “Not your fault.” Will says firmly.

They spend some time just considering the other, and Will is surprised at the depth of emotions he feels for both this man and the Wendigo, and knows that he will placed before an impossible choice; of who he will lend more time and thoughts to.

The careful silence is broken by Bea who brings over two plates which are piled high with food. Glancing at both of them she leaves them with the food, and Will looks to Hannibal to explain the dish.

“We’ve got a dish based on Brancaster Mussels with bacon, cider and tarragon.” Hannibal says, “I hope you like them.”

Will smiles and says, “I am sure I will, everything else you have introduced me to has been delicious.” Hannibal smiles warmly at him.

Will breaks the opened shell of the first mussel apart to scoop out the flesh, with the tartness of the cider and the bittersweet of the tarragon, creates a delicious taste. He hums appreciatively. It is good food but he is sure that Hannibal would be able to perfect the recipe.

“I’ve tried you know.” Hannibal says under his breath, “but I’m sure Bea uses her own cider which gives it a unique flavour.”

He grins at Will, who only nods thoughtfully. “Maybe there is something to be done with my apples?”

“That wouldn’t be a terrible idea.” Hannibal says thoughtfully. “I would need to rearrange some things in the cellar but i I don’t think it would be an issue.”

“Why am I not surprised that you have equipment ready for making cider.” Will says with mith mirth in his voice.

“I’ve dabbled a few times, but I’ve never quite had the right ingredients available.” Hannibal says, “I tried making my own wine and beer and been reasonably happy with the results.”

Will smiles widely, “I would like to try this homebrewed wine.”

“I can rearrange this afternoon and I could take you home, I have a few things in mind that involve wine.”

Will flushes, glad that he is almost finished with his food, as he no longer has hunger as the most overriding feeling, at least not a food hunger.

“I can hardly imagine what has given you that colour. But trust me Will nothing quite as sordid.”

Of course the statement only makes Will flush deeper, “no?”

“Well that has everything to do with what you want.”

Will smiles and takes a gulp of his water, the liquid cools him slightly and he remembers the appearance of the Wendigo.

“I can’t this afternoon I’m afraid, there are a few errands I have to complete that you have distracted me away from.” Will says.

Hannibal nods, “then promise me Will, that you’ll look after yourself.” He strikes one finger down Will’s cheek. Will nods dumbly because for a moment he almost feels long fingers down his cheek.

“I will. I mostly just need to do some things for the dogs.” Will says slowly, he isn’t sure how he can explain that inexplicably he misses a creature that should be the stuff of nightmares.

Hannibal nods again and he seems to be satisfied with the answer from Will.

They finish the meal in somewhat comfortable silence, and Will wonders if he is losing his mind again. Hannibal seems to grow a little concerned for Will but doesn’t say anything. And Will is so glad of Hannibal’s ability to make him feel calm.

Hannibal gets up from his seat and moves to the counter, Will motions at his wallet to show that he will pay but Hannibal shakes his head with a smile. He settles his bull bill with Bea and returns to the table with two pieces of chocolate. Will grins and takes the proffered piece.

Getting up out of the seat he follows Hannibal out of the cafe back outside to the brisk air. Hannibal leaves one hand in the small of Will’s back and Will enjoys the warmth that fills him. There is something possessive with the way that Hannibal seems to stake a claim on him in front of everyone, Will enjoys the knowledge almost as much the bites that pepper his back.

When they reach the car park of the surgery, Hannibal leads him to his car and kisses him in farewell. Somewhat dazed Will gets into his car and drives off the property. He watches Hannibal in his rear view mirror until he can no longer see him.

The journey back to his home is much quicker than the way to the village. When he parks up on his property the fog has completely lifted.

Unlocking his front door he is greeted by his pack in a flurry of fur and wagging tails. Zoe is desperately trying to jump up into his arms so he picks her up. Promptly she is covering his entire face in kisses. Will laughs at her affectionate being. Placing her back onto the floor next to the the other dogs, he is soon kissed enthusiastically by Buster.

Laughing he sinks to his knees in the doorway and the dogs crowd around him, he strokes each of them in turn until they calm down. Only then does he get up to walk to the living room.

In the living room he moves to the bookshelf on the far wall, he picks out a book at random and settles onto the couch to read.

A few hours later when the clicking of the dogs nails on the floor becomes too insistent, he puts down the book and gets up. He wanders into the kitchen and starts pulling the ingredients together for the dog’s food. Excited yips from the hallway follow Will around the kitchen.

When he sets the bowls down for them they eagerly pounce to start eating. Will watches them for long moments with a smile. When they finish eating he picks the dogs’ bowls back up, and carries them to the kitchen leaving the bowls in the sink to clean later.

He looks out over the garden, and sees the orange glow of the setting sun. Will considers the dogs for a while, before opening the back door and stepping outside.

Walking towards the woods he almost feels no chill even though he can see his breathe fog the air in front of him.

The darkness of the woods swallows him the moment his feet cross the border. Will is glad of the cover of darkness, even though he knows that it will make it harder to see the Wendigo. But the thought of not seeing the creature until it’s almost too late sends thrills down his spine.

When he reaches the clearing he settles on the log next to the patch of earth where the body is buried.

Hours he spends waiting for the Wendigo. When the cold has seeped through all of his joints. After the Wendigo doesn’t make itself known, Will decides to return to his home.

Standing up the ache in his joints becomes pronounced, and he almost wishes Hannibal was here to massage out the aches in his shoulders.

The dogs are pressed up against the glass pane of the door and as he gets closer he can hear their whines and cries. Pushing past them to get into his house, he almost falls over Buster who looks at him with obvious concern.

He wanders into the kitchen to pour himself a large glass of whiskey. Taking the glass upstairs to his bedroom he sets it on the nightstand.

The pack of dogs have followed him upstairs and are settling in their various sleeping areas. Watching Will as he strips down to his boxers and tshirt before getting into bed.

As soon as he is settled into his bed he realises that Zoe has jumped onto the bed, for a moment he considers ordering her off the bed, but something in him needs the company. When he doesn’t send Zoe from his bed the other dogs follow suit. Taking the glass from the nightstand he sips at the whiskey slowly.

Picking up phone be scrolls through the news, realising with a start that the rash of disappearances have made national news. Clicking through to the article he reads with attention that each of the bodies he had discovered belonged to men who had committed crimes, and by the comment section no one was particularly upset about the disappearance.

He raises his glass in a mock toast and says, “the Wendigo.”

The pang with which he misses the creature surprises him. Draining the last of the amber liquid in his glass he sets the glass on the nightstand with a thunk.

Placing the phone next to the glass he settles down underneath the duvet and closes his eyes. Surprisingly for him, Will drifts off easily.

In his dream Will is running, mile after mile he runs barefoot through a dark forest, and at every corner he see glimpses of either the Wendigo or Hannibal. When he gets close enough to reach out to them the figure seems to morph into the other before disappearing. Frustrated he calls out but nothing he cries seems to bring him either one to him.

Will wakes drenched in sweat, panting heavily and feeling like he had been running for hours. When he glances at the clock next to his bed he realises that it is only a few hours since he went to bed. He looks around the dogs and his gaze lands on Winston who is lying closest to his face with his head on his paw. Winston seems to notice the eyes on him as he picks up his head to lean over to Will.

With one quick swipe of his tongue Winston licks the sweat from Will’s brow. Although he knows he should be faintly disgusted by the act Will is touched by the care the dogs give him. Will reaches out a hand and runs it through the fur. The warmth from the dog is comforting and he falls into a dreamless sleep.

Will wakes the next morning feeling as if he had run all night. Although he can’t remember what he had dreamt of he does feel this yearning in his chest that he can’t seem to be able to shake.

It almost feels like there is a piece in his chest missing, and Will cannot begin to fathom the cause of this longing. Glancing across to his nightstand he notices that it is already past 9 in the morning.

Getting out of his bed the dogs seem eager to leave the bedroom as they all jumped from the bed the moment that Will had folded back the duvet.

Opening the door the dogs stream out the door and Will can hear them run downstairs, chuckling he takes a robe and slips it over his pyjamas. He follows the dogs downstairs and as usual they are stood at the backdoor waiting to be let outside.

Pulling on his slippers he opens the back door and follows the dogs outside. The air outside his biting in its chill. It feels like small needles on his cheeks, the dogs seem unconcerned with the cold, he can see clouds of breath from each of the dogs as they excitedly yip and bark at each other.

Knowing they are secure in the garden he walks towards the woods. Will hesitates for long moments but then he resolves to follow his instincts and walks into the cover of the trees.

In the clearing there is no signs of the Wendigo and Will doesn’t want to spend another day waiting in the woods so he walks back to his house.

Winston is stood right by the backdoor witch his head cocked slightly as Will approaches. When he reaches Winston, Will runs his fingers through the tuft of hair between his ears. Opening the back door again, he whistles once and the rest of the pack comes bounding up to him and past him into the house.

Almost in a daze Will feeds his dogs their usual breakfast and when he has washed up the tools he walks back upstairs.

He checks his phone and see he has a text from Hannibal.

_Unfortunately I won’t be able to see you today or tomorrow. Hope to see you soon. Yours H._

The message makes Will feel almost distraught. It is almost odd how much time he has spent with Hannibal up until this point. Will can say with certainty that he misses Hannibal as much as he misses the Wendigo.

Looking at the bed that he has vacated only an hour ago longingly. He decides against going back to bed when he notices the clicking of nails on the floor of the hallway.

Grudgingly he moves back downstairs and goes into the living room. The book he had been reading the previous evening is still on the coffee table.

Picking it up he weighs it in his hands before taking it back to the bookcase and sorting it back into its place.

Spotting the remnants of one of the motors he had started on fixing in the corner of the living room. Will considers the pieces before spreading them out across the floor and then settles on the floor.

He works on the motor for several hours, and although Will is sure he gets no further in getting any closer to actually repairing the thing, he is glad for the distraction as up until that moment he had been undisturbed by thoughts of both the Wendigo and Hannibal.

Now, however, he can’t stop thinking about both. Will looks over his pack who have spread across the entire room. They seem focused around the radiator which he can more than empathise with. The late fall has brought with it a damp creeping cold.

It’s only then that he notices that darkness has fallen and the only light in the room is from the full moon, which has bathed the room in a silvery colour.

Will chuckles lightly when he realises that he has spent all day with the motor, and that the dogs don’t seem to be too upset with him for not taking them outside. When he stands up from the floor, the dogs jump up excitedly and bustle around him. He smiles at them, and leads them out to the garden. As it is so cold most of the dogs only decide to quickly go about their business before crowding the back door to get back inside.

***

Days Will spends waiting for contact from both Hannibal and the Wendigo, every day when he lets his dogs out into his garden he walks into the woods into the clearing but there is never any trace of the creature. Apart from cursory texts from Hannibal that state that he is busy with other commitments there are no further plans when Will might see the doctor again.

On the fifth day of no contact and the same dream of chasing the Wendigo and Hannibal he is incredibly frustrated and lonely, it reminds him too keenly of the way he felt in Wolf Trap during each of the cases he had been involved with. Alone with the dogs and his thoughts. When the evening rolls around, and he has depleted the last of the stores of food that Hannibal had left in his freezer he opens the bottle of whiskey he had been saving.

The first glass he pours himself is measured, a mere two fingers, but he downs it quickly, wincing at the burn. The second follows in quick succession, slightly more than the usual two fingers but Will is sure that even Hannibal wouldn’t deny him the alcohol. Thinking about Hannibal enrages Will. He pours himself the third glass, and has for intents and purposes given up on measuring the liquid in the glass.

Swilling the glass in his hand he picks up his phone and looks at the last text he had received from Hannibal.

_Once again I am sorry my dear Will. Circumstance prevents me from spending time with you at the moment. Think of me often._

Then he looks at the date he had received it, two days ago. He punches in an angry reply.

_You could have just fucking told me you didn’t want to see me._

Will’s thumb hovers over the send button for long moments. He downs his drink and then presses send, he fills his glass as his phone sounds off that the text had been sent.

The fourth glass slides down easily. He takes the bottle with him from the kitchen to the living room and sets it down on the coffee table, sitting down is more challenging that Will expects, and he is a little surprised at how drunk he is. Then again four glasses of whiskey would knock even the most experienced drinker for six.

Sighing he leans back against the sofa and closes his eyes. As Hannibal instructed him he can’t but help to think of the man, and it angers Will how much the doctor has invaded every thought of his. The little part of mind that is not occupied by Hannibal is filled with the Wendigo. The creature has captured every other thought of his. Will can still feel the warmth, and the weight of the Wendigo over his body, and the way it filled him.

Heat courses through him and he knows he has flushed a deep scarlet, partially due to alcohol in his system. Looking at his phone there is no reply from Hannibal and curses under his breath before throwing the phone across the room. When it beeps a notification, Will sighs, choosing to ignore it.

He closes his eyes again and falls asleep.

***

Will wakes with a start, someone is pounding at his front door and his dogs are barking in panic at the sound. Groaning he gets up from his sofa and moves over to the door. He can see a large figure in the frosted glass and for a moment Will is sure that it’s the Wendigo, but he blames his exhaustion and his wish to see the creature for it.

He rips open the door ready to curse out whoever is disturbing him so late at night. Any curse however stops when he sees Hannibal on his doorstep. The doctor looks worse for wear than Will could have ever imagined him as. A thin layer of stubble distorts the otherwise sharp line of his jaw. The intense eyes are set in a face that looks exhausted, with prominent bags.

The look in Hannibal’s eyes is hungry and desperate, Will can see that Hannibal is talking him in as if he was water in a dessert desert, as if he is trying to memorise every inch of his face.

“Hannibal what-” Will starts.

“I’m sorry Will. I shouldn’t be here. But I couldn’t just leave you be.”

“Pretty shitty excuse Hannibal. You could have called or texted the last few days. I wouldn’t have minded if you had said you never wanted to see me again.”

“That’s not it dear Will.” Hannibal says and he sounds distraught.

“Then what is it?” Will says angrily. “Because it sure felt that way.”

Hannibal sighs and says, “this will take some explaining. Can I come in?”

Wlll sighs and opens the door for Hannibal. He leads him into the living room. Will sits down on the sofa and motions for Hannibal to take a seat next to him. The seat is taken and Will looks at Hannibal expectantly.

“You mentioned that you had seen the Wendigo on your property?” Hannibal says as he looks at Will with serious eyes. Will nods slightly, although the mention of the Wendigo enrages him slightly. Hannibal must see the anger in his eyes because he continues, “there is more to the legend than you might think.”

Will sighs slightly. He massages the bridge of his nose, where a headache is beginning to form. “I thought you said that the Wendigo is seen to be an omen of death.”

“You and I both know that there is more to it than that. In fact I know you know intimately that there is more.”

Will flushes slightly, but he doesn’t question Hannibal.

“The Wendigo chose you.” Hannibal says simply.

“Chose me.” Will says slowly.

“Yes.” Hannibal breathes. He looks desperate for Will to understand him.

“Why would the Wendigo choose me?”

“Will, you truly do not know?” Hannibal asks.

“Hannibal I need you to tell me the truth.” Will says firmly.

“To the truth then and all its consequences.”

Will is about to open his mouth when he looks up at Hannibal.

Black is slowly bleeding through Hannibal’s face, his usual maroon eyes cloud over until they are milky white.

A cracking noises accompanies the slow growing antlers that are breaking free from the skin of Hannibal’s head.

The half formed creature in front of him is breathing heavily and Will knows that Hannibal must be in agony.

He reaches over to touch the familiar face, cupping the cheek. A long fingered hand reaches up and rests against his.

Before long there is no Hannibal in front of him, but just the Wendigo.

The voice in his head is back and it feels like coming home.

“Do you see now my dear Will?” It’s the first time that he can hear speech and not just emotion.

“You’re the Wendigo. But I still don’t understand what that means.”

“We choose a companion. One that drives us to provide for them. Someone who can know us, accept us and see us. In return we would give the world to them.” The voice of the Wendigo is reminiscent of Hannibal’s voice.

“Provide?”

“Feed, clothe and care for. Provide whatever you want and need.”

Realisation dawns upon Will. “We were eating them.”

“Yes. But they were mere pigs, not fit to walk among us.”

Will considers for long moments. The news doesn’t surprise or horrify him, even though he knows that it should.

“And if I asked you to stop?” Will asks tentatively.

“There would never be another. If that is truly what you want.”

Will preens at the thought that Hannibal would go against his own nature just because Will asked it of him.

Hannibal seems able to sense his joy because he says “But I think Iwould be of more use to you if you pointed me in certain directions.”

The grin on the Wendigo’s face is so similar to the one that Will knows on Hannibal’s face that he reaches up to grasp a hold of one of the antlers.

Pulling gently until Hannibal’s face is level with his. He can feel the puffs of breath from the creature against his face before he leans over and kisses the creature.

Hannibal growls low in his throat and Will swallows the noise eagerly. Darting out a tongue into Hannibal’s mouth to run it against too sharp teeth. He presses his tongue against the tip of a canine until coppery blood blossoms between them. The groan that Hannibal makes as he draws them gently apart is what?.

“Cunning boy.” Hannibal purrs in Will’s head. “Now the question is if you are sure, will you share my blood?”

Will understands what Hannibal is asking of him. He nods slowly and takes Hannibal’s hand in his.

“After all blood and breath are only elements undergoing change to fuel your radiance.” Will looks at Hannibal puzzledly.

Hannibal only smiles and Will sees the gleam of his teeth in the light. They consider each other for long moments. Reaching a resolve Will takes the hand, he has clasped in his, to his mouth.

Hannibal groans as Will draws his thumb into his mouth and sucks lightly. Long moments he waits until he closes his teeth around the digit in his mouth. Biting down through the tough skin until he tastes blood.

Hannibal moans in pleasure and says, “I could never entirely predict you my boy.”

Will grins and kisses the Wendigo again, he can taste their mingled blood between them and it sends a tingle of pleasure down his spine. Judging from the small snarls that Hannibal is making, he is equally affected.

They part only when there is no more breath between them. “I gave you a rare gift.” Will can hear in his mind the voice of the Wendigo. Slowly the black skin of the creature begins to lighten and then turn back to Hannibal;s usual complexion. Antlers begin to recede back into the skin as the blonde strands reappear.

“I changed you the way you have changed me.” Hannibal says in his own voice, which is gravelly and his lips are kiss-swollen.

Will smiles softly. He laces his fingers with Hannibal's and raises the hand to his lips and kisses the bite wound gently. Hannibal is watching him closely.

“So no qualms about my being the Wendigo?” Hannibal asks tentatively, and Will knows in that instance that Hannibal had not intended for Will to find out for quite some time but his text had forced the situation.

“I feel no differently about you, if that’s what you mean. It’s just that the scales have fallen from my eyes. I can see you clearly now.”

Hannibal beams at his words and kisses Will enthusiastically again. “You stunning boy.” Hannibal says as he breaks them apart.

“These changes you have alluded to, what can I expect?”

“I’m not sure, with the death of my parents at such young age, much of my history remains unknown to me.”

Will nods slowly. “Then we take that leap together.”

“This is all I ever wanted for you, Will. For both of us.”

The End


End file.
